Yesterday after a very successful National Standards Forum held at my office with the Minister of Education Anne Tolley- a member of my staff received a very strange phone call at my busy Johnsonville Office.
You can read Audrey Young's piece on my forum here http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10631063
The caller was annoyed about a poll that had been removed from my website earlier in the day, and pleaded with my staff member to repost the archived results.
Needless to say, it was a strange request to an MPs office. Let's be honest it's not every day that a constituent calls asking for a poll on your website to be reinstated, particularly the archived results of a deleted poll!
UPDATE: - This morning we received yet another request to post the poll archive, coincidence? I think not!
My website is updated daily, sometimes even more frequently. It is an important communication tool, and I actively encourage debate and discussion with the electorate through it.
The poll in question had already been running on my website for approximately 5 weeks in the lead up to the forum which was held on Tuesday. Removing the poll was always part of a planned update. (During March I am holding a competition to select a Youth MP to represent me in Parliament and the poll was updated to encourage debate amongst 16-18 year olds around the changes to the drivers licensing laws)
Until the poll was deleted the results were running at about 26 votes for National Standards to about 6 against. That is the normal sort of feedback I receive on polls I run on my site, which are not meant to be scientific 
Upon updating the poll yesterday morning my staff member noted that the results were no longer valid as it had been hijacked overnight by a few people intent on distorting the poll for their own advantage. As we run analytics on the website we were also able to view an unusually large pattern of traffic which resulted in 350 invalid votes in the space of 24hrs.
It is important to note that the poll was not removed, and never would be removed just because it opposed Government policy. It was updated because the Forum had finished, (this is the second one I have run in 2 months) and was not archived because the result was corrupted (and was removed in much the same way graffiti is removed by property owners when it defaces fences and walls.) My website is no different.
I am an MP that believes in free speech and the spirit of a robust democracy. I have proved that on a number of occasions like here at my office opening last September http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2009/09/09/twilight-protest-at-night-class-cuts/ when I personally went out and spoke with protestors at my office opening
Or here at another electorate function where I again went out to talk with protestors over the cuts to ACC http://www.katrinashanks.co.nz/index.php?/archives/171-Electorate-Function-Katrina-talks-with-protestors-about-their-concerns.html
And even yesterday at the forum, at which the Minister was present, I actively welcomed a group of Onslow College students (who arrived unexpectedly - having not RSVP'd), and encouraged them to express their opinions. I even offered to write them a note for school!
I am sure the New Zealand taxpayer would prefer not to see their hard earned taxes spent inciting people to visit MPs sites to artifically alter their poll results.
I for one, would prefer to spend my time engaging with real constituents about real issues that are important to them and their families.
