It’s November

NZPA reports:

Parliament is set to have a final session beginning on September 23, Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.

There has been some speculation that this week’s sitting of Parliament could be the last before the election, but Miss Clark said today that was not her plan.

“It is our intention to be back on the 23rd (of September)… we are certainly not intending this to be our last week,” Miss Clark said.

If the House returns on Tuesday 23 September, than I would say it would dissolve at the earliest on Thursday 25 September. It could keep meeting until Thursday 2 October (expires automatically on Monday 6 October). Let us say it is dissolved on Thursday 23 September.

Writ Day would almost certainly be Thursday 2 October. In theory it could immediate, but it never is. Then you have closing of nominations which isn’t specified by statute but normally at least three days after the writs. That means Monday 6 October. Then the polling day is 20 to 27 days after that which would be Saturday 1 November at the earliest.

8 November is still looking good to me.