Tomorrow is the final chance to vote in the Hamilton West byelection, with polling booths closing their doors at 7pm.

Early voting has so far been slow in the electorate, tracking well below the general election and even the recent Tauranga byelection.

The Electoral Commission said 20 voting places will be open tomorrow, from 9am. Preliminary results will start to trickle in once voting ends.

Meanwhile, The Spinoff’s Anna Rawhiti-Connell has this afternoon analysed a recent candidates debate held on Today FM’s Tova programme. Her thesis is that the music choices of the byelection candidates all date them to some very specific Hamilton bars. Click here to find out what exactly that means.

There are two times of the year that the New Zealand public get worked up about voting – and generally neither of them involve politics. It’s bird of the year and quote of the year, and right now it’s time for the latter.

Massey University has revealed this year’s nominations for the best quote of 2022.

It includes a quote by Alice Snedden on an episode of her Spinoff webseries Bad News (“fundamentally, I’m interested in being a good person with as minimal inconvenience as possible”) along with a recent and now (in)famous Jacinda Ardern quote (“I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were of similar age”).

There are also quotes by Black Fern Ruby Tui, Act leader David Seymour and… the Christchurch Wizard?

Vote for your favourite quote here

We’re less than 12 months out from election day 2023, which means political retirements will soon start to be announced.

Earlier this week, Green MP Jan Logie announced she wouldn’t be standing in next year’s election. And yesterday it was reported, though not confirmed, that former health minister David Clark would also be calling it quits.

In end of year interviews with both Newshub and TVNZ, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has signalled there are more retirements to come.

“I’ve already signalled there will be a reshuffle in the new year,” Ardern told Newshub’s Jenna Lynch. “I’ll be announcing a handful of retirements next week as well.”

There’s no confirmation of who will be on that list. Ministers like Willie Jackson and Nanaia Mahuta have both faced scrutiny over the past few weeks over their particular portfolios, though both have confirmed they will be standing in 2023.

As for that New Year reshuffle, Ardern wouldn’t be drawn on what that could involve. “Look I haven’t sat down and started working through the reshuffle that I have long flagged that we would undertake, but I will be in the new year, over the summer, spending a bit of time thinking about that and in the new year be looking to change up some of our portfolios,” Ardern replied told TVNZ’s Jessica Mutch McKay.

Good pick up from interest.co.nz’s Rebecca Stevenson here. In 2020, the Commerce Commission began work investigating mobile truck shops that sell items at inflated prices, often on credit, with very high interest. They’ve been captured under new Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA) rules since June 2020. A 2018 investigation by Newsroom found one truck shop selling a 3kg package of chicken drumsticks for $59 which would usually cost $12 at the Mad Butcher.

Stevenson reports that of the 26 traders investigated, 18 either choose to leave the sector or shift to an online or by phone business model. Some follow up is probably required on that shift but as one commenter who used to volunteer at the Citizens Advice Bureau in Manukau noted, “These mobile trucks are as bad as loan sharks. I am glad they are being phased out.”

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There’s been a development in the case of the parents who wanted to use “unvaccinated blood” for their child who needs life-saving surgery.

As you’ll know by now, the court earlier this week took over guardianship of the baby. That meant the surgery could go ahead.

However, as RNZ reported today, the parents have since tried to stop doctors from preparing the child for the operation. It’s been reported that the parents threatened criminal action if health staff attempted to carry out the procedure.

The High Court has subsequently ordered the parents not to obstruct health staff.

Speaking to Today FM, Auckland University family law expert Mark Henaghan said there was no criminal offence that could be committed, owing to the guardianship order. “The court has the authority… [there’s] no criminal offence whatsoever,” he said.