Opinion: Election 2017 - Time to make your own decision

Tomorrow is election day. Photo/File

If you still haven't made up your mind who you'll be voting for this election, you're fast running out of time. Tomorrow is polling day.

You will have read, seen and heard a lot from and about the various parties and candidates over the past few months. More so of course over the past few weeks.

It's been a full-on campaign all round, so much so that when tomorrow arrives and the billboards and placard-wavers have disappeared and all media suddenly stops mentioning the war for your votes it will hit you like a deafening silence.

Three years ago amidst the drama of "Dirty Politics" we thought it was a pretty crazy election. But Election 2017 is giving it a pretty good run for its money. Who knew a year ago the fates that awaited John Key, Andrew Little, Metiria Turei and Peter Dunne? Or for that matter Jacinda Ardern and Gareth Morgan?

Change in the political realm is fast being matched by change among the populace, as divisions seem wider than ever. Though even to mention these, for example the perceived rural/urban divide, is now seen as a political act.

The media's relationship with the public is ever-evolving, particularly with advances in technology including social media.

Society itself seems to have evolved to a point where intolerance of others' views is the norm.

To that end, the media, at least those reporting from the sidelines, are now often seen as the enemy by those glued to a political viewpoint.

Put simply, it seems to be a case of "If you're not with us you're against us".

They're half right - we're not with them. But we're not the enemy.

When you make your voting decision, if you haven't already, plenty of others will have told you who to vote for.

We won't do that, but we do hope we've given you enough information to make a vote that represents your own wishes and hopes for yourself, your family and New Zealand.