Prime Minister Bill English is declining to say whether the date for this year's general election will be announced on Tuesday this week after the first Cabinet meeting of the year. "We're still considering that," he said in answer to questions from journalists at Ratana Pa, where he led a delegation of government ministers to the annual celebrations of the religious movement founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana. An early announcement of the election date would maintain a practice established by English's predecessor, John Key. Key believed the public favoured certainty over the election date rather than the tradition of the ruling party keeping the date close to its chest to keep opposition parties guessing. The Maori Party has been urging Ratana to break its tradition of support for the Labour Party, as the Kingitanga did last year.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 23, 2017 03:49 UTC