Sally's guide to the minor parties

We all know which two parties will grab most of the votes. We mostly know the six other parties that have managed to either win one electorate seat or 5% of the party votes on 2005.

However there are going to be more than eight options on the ballot paper for our party vote just as there are a plethora of hoardings from groups we have never heard of.

So who are these minnows?

First up would like to be the party of choice for all the friends of Mary Jane, lovers of wacky baccy and growers of electric puha, Coromandel grass etc. Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party

I have to guess what the Direct Democracy Party is standing for. Their website was down when I looked, possibly still under construction. This close to the election I have to wonder how seriously they want your vote. No connection to the old Social Credit party.

Then there is the party for all those who believe that the free market and a free society is so desirable that they have littered the local landscape with hoardings. So if the right wing is where you want us to be the LibertariaNZ party would really like your vote. They have a more in depth policy than most of these one trick ponies to prove it.

New World Order are a registered party but no website so just how new their idea of order is I have no idea. I half expected google to find an on line supermarket when I searched. They don't seem to want your vote.

Again no website that I could find for the New Zealand Pacific Party but if you are a fan of disgraced former Labour MP Taito Philip Feild and don't live in Mangere he would like you to put your tick here.

Residents Action Movement are the party that want to take GST off food. The word free makes more appearances in their short list of policies than that of the Libertarianz but in a totally different way.

Alliance have been around since 1993. I think this is what is left of the party that once included Jim Anderton's New Labour Party (Progressives) and the Green Party.

The Bill and Ben Party is this years answer to McGillicuddy Serious. A must for all Pulp Sport fans and those who want a dose of comidy.

The Family Party seem to be just what they say they are and have a list of "family friendly" policies. No obvious connection to the often strangely crackpot Families First lobby group that I have been able to find.

If you were wondering were the Christians had got to this election I have found them. The Kiwi Party doesn't seem to be as blatant about it as past christian parties, their stand supporting recreational hunting and fishing is more obvious at first look than their pro christain stand. This is the only party on this list that currently has an MP in shape of Gordon Copeland. He is standing up against Labour's Annette King in Rongotai.

The New Zealand Democratic Party for Social Credit are trying to revive their fortunes to recapture the relative success they enjoyed as Social Credit, the only minor party to consistently win one or two seats under the first pass the post electoral system.

The Republic of New Zealand Party for "Democracy the way it should be". Yes really lol. Very short on details unless you want to sit through a 9½ minute you tube clip. Thanks to my slow connection, I didn't.

Workers Party of New Zealand, communists? maybe, socialists? definitely. Possibly the polar opposite to Libertarianz.

Of course there are other parties but since, like me, they aren't registered so not on the ballot paper.