Tauranga Girls' College stage mock vote

Tauranga Girls College has just done a mock vote. Participating were (left to right) Maia Flint, 14, Julia Hampton, 13, and Gursharon Kaur, 13. Photo/George Novak

If Year 9 students from a social studies class were to decide the election results, there would be change on the horizon.

Fifty-two students from Tauranga Girls' College held a mock vote on Monday which showed Labour as the front-runner.

The results from the mock vote indicated the students would like to see a Labour-Greens-led government with Labour receiving 36.6 per cent and Greens collecting 11.5 per cent.

National gained 30.9 per cent of the mock vote however and Simon Bridges was the favourite to take out the Tauranga candidate seat.

Fourteen-year-old Maia Flint said she voted for National but was not surprised by her peers giving Labour their vote.

"We are an all-girls school so I think it would be cool to see a woman in such a powerful position," she said.

Maia said it was important for young people to be involved and vote in the election as they were the ones who would need to invest in their future for longer.

Julia Hampton, 13, said she gave her vote to National as she was not sure Labour would be able to live up to its promises.

"National has been doing a good job, so I think they can continue going the same way," she said.

Gursharon Kaur, 13, thinks one of the reasons that influenced her vote was her family. She said her parents vote National and said the party was doing a good job running the country.

Head of social studies Murray Armstrong said he did not know what to expect before the votes were counted.

"We can now see a mood for change, but I think the biggest surprise is the prediction that NZ First would be in danger of not meeting the 5 per cent threshold."

This is not the first time Tauranga Girls' College had held a mock election.

The idea encourages young students to have an understanding of the election process and to be open to discussing the topic at home.

Fact Box-
Predictions from the mock vote...
-A Labour- Green led government
-NZ First in danger of not meeting the five percent threshold
-TOP will not get five percent.