Jo Raphael: 19 days to decide New Zealand's next Government

There's not long to go now until the general election. Photo / File

Nineteen. That's how many days we have to make up our minds on the type of Government we want to run our country for the next three years.

The voices clamouring for our attention are getting louder. Everywhere we look, just about, there are candidates vying for our attention. Are you sick of the hoardings? The TV and radio advertisements or the deluge of political social media posts?

I know I am. However, now's not the time to switch off.

Now's the time to wake up.

It's time to get involved and become informed about your choices.

What's important to you? Child poverty? Small business? Education or health? Infrastructure? The environment? The economy or the Covid-19 response?

Are you happy with the way things are going now, or do you think there needs to be a change?

Now's the time to get your priorities straight and find a party and a local candidate who most closely reflects your views.

We should be reaching out to our candidates, finding out what their and their party's views are on issues important to us.

That's where we can help.

This paper is publishing a series on our local candidates standing in our electorates, asking them questions we feel need to be answered in order to make an informed choice.

I encourage you to study it closely. And vote.

In the 2017 election 79.67 per cent in Rotorua turned out to vote, 81.39 per cent in Tauranga, 82.75 per cent in Bay of Plenty and 68.92 per cent in Waiariki. This means, that in our area, between about 20-30 per cent of eligible voters did not vote.

Let's try and improve that this election. Make the next 19 days count and learn all you can about your choices.

Now's not the time for apathy.