Voting in Tauranga's byelection closes on Saturday night. Photo / Andrew Warner
Voting in Tauranga's byelection closes on Saturday night. Photo / Andrew Warner
With more than 11,000 votes already cast, the Tauranga by-election is under way - but what do locals think about their options?
The Bay of Plenty Times visited town centres around Tauranga to see what people thought of the election so far and to find out if they were planningto vote.
Electoral Commission data showed 11,058 people had voted as of June 15.
This is below the number of people who had voted at the equivalent point in the 2020 general election when 21,279 had voted by that time - which the Electoral Commission said was normal for byelections.
In Mount Maunganui, local man Brad Antony said he would not be voting.
He said if he did vote, he didn't think it would "transfer into things I would like to happen".
Mount Maunganui man Brad Antony said he won't be voting in the byelection. Photo / Talia Parker
In contrast, another man Lance, who didn't want to give his surname, said he had already voted.
He felt it had been a "clear-cut decision" to vote for National's Sam Uffindell.
He said policies around crime were his main concern.
He believed Uffindell would "get some law and order in the place ... you don't feel safe [in Tauranga]".
Two Mount restaurant owners, married couple Lucas and Mariana , said they had not yet looked into the candidates but thought they would be voting on Saturday.
They would be doing online research into the candidates before voting.
Lucas said he was looking for a young candidate with "some new ideas" who would "bring more life to Tauranga".
Mariana said she wanted a candidate who was focused on "helping hospitality".
Local man Keith Kerr said he had voted for Uffindell, and said he had discussed his decision with his wife, who had done extensive research.
Despite his vote, he thought Uffindell might be "hard-pressed to do much".
Another woman who had already voted did not wish to say who she had voted for, but she had chosen based on party rather than the candidates.
In the Greerton town centre, resident Lyn Gillies said she had also voted for Uffindell, but said it had been "a bit of a hard decision".
She was disappointed not to see candidates being "a bit more proactive".
She had received a door-knock from a party but said it was "too late" once early voting had started.
She credited Act candidate Cameron Luxton for being the candidate she felt was the most visible, but said she wished she had heard more from the other candidates.
In deciding who to vote for, she said she primarily considered infrastructure, crime, and the cost of living.
She said she found Uffindell "very impressive", but "just didn't hear a lot from him".
Greerton woman Eileen Wharekawa said she can't vote in the byelection because she's registered on the Māori roll. Photo / Talia Parker
Also in Greerton, Eileen Wharekawa said she couldn't vote in the election because she was registered on the Māori roll, so she hadn't looked into the candidates.
When asked about the issues facing Tauranga, she said "there's a lot - how can I think of one?".
Another Greerton man said he'd seen the byelection in the news, but "didn't take any notice".
He said he didn't know what a local MP's duties would be and felt he would need more information about the candidates before he decided whether he would vote or not.
The Electoral Commission's voting services manager Graeme Astle said the current number of advanced votes in Tauranga was "in line" with expectations.
He said there had been an increase in the number of people voting in advance in recent elections.
"We encourage everyone who hasn't already voted to get out and vote."
Voting closes at 7pm on Saturday, and voting places are open now.
