Key dates
- Today: Business committee meets this afternoon to agree a Parliament timetable
- September 6 : Parliament dissolves
- September 13: Writ Day, nominations close 18 September
- October 3: Advance voting begins, last day for return of the writ is 12 November
- October 17: Election day
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has delayed the election by a month to October 17.
At a press conference at the Beehive to announce the decision, Ardern said the re-emergence of Covid in the community was a cause for concern for the election period.
While the Electoral Commission said voting could safely happen under alert level 2 and there was no suggestion New Zealand would be in elevated alert levels on September 19 - the previous election date - Ardern said she also had to factor in participation of voters, fairness and certainty.
Ardern said she made the decision after consulting with the leaders of all parties in Parliament, but there would never be complete consensus.
The election date was the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister, but Ardern said these were "extraordinary circumstances", she said.
Pushing an election out by several months didn't mean disruption was less likely, said Ardern.
She considered retaining the current date, moving it until October 17 and November 21, and decided on October 17.
Ardern said the dissolution of Parliament would be delayed to September 6 and Parliament would reconvene tomorrow.
She pointed out that many countries had held elections while still tackling Covid-19 outbreaks.
Pushing an election out by several months didn't mean disruption was less likely, said Ardern.
She was advised October 17 was achievable and the Electoral Commission would be able to draw on some of the work they'd already done.
Having early voting start during the school holidays had the downside of some people moving around the country and impacting the Commission's workforce but meant there would be some additional facilities available.
Ardern said Covid was the "world's new normal" and gave the assurance she wouldn't change the election date again.
"Covid will be with us for some time to come. Continuously pushing out an election does not lessen the risk of disruption and this is why the Electoral Commission has planned for the possibility of holding an election where the country is at level 2, and with some parts at level 3.
"I have absolutely no intention at all to change from this point."
A Herald-Kantar poll this morning revealed 60% of New Zealanders did not think the election should still be held on September 19 - but opinions differed greatly between Auckland and the rest of New Zealand.
Ardern consulted the leaders of all parties in Parliament on the issue at the weekend.
National, Act and NZ First all called on her to delay it, saying the September date made it difficult for political parties to campaign, and that voters would be wary of voting.
If Ardern goes ahead with the date and the dissolution of Parliament takes place, it will be up to the Electoral Commission to decide on a week-by-week basis whether it is possible to hold an election.
The Electoral Commission - an independent body - has made plans for voting to happen safely under alert level 2, meaning there's nothing stopping the election going ahead if Auckland's lockdown is lifted on August 26 as planned.
Ardern's office said "a range of views have been expressed that the Prime Minister has taken on board" and that before announcing her decision she would review the most up-to-date health information.
Yesterday, there were 12 new cases in the community and one in managed isolation. All of the 49 active community cases could either be definitively traced to the Auckland cluster or were under investigation but considered likely to be connected.
Three people were being treated in hospital.
