Changes in the wind for Local Electoral Act 

Local Government New Zealand  (LGNZ) has welcomed some proposed changes to the Local Electoral Act which we have been advocating for in recent years.

As one of his last actions in Parliament Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has given the go ahead to draft a bill to make a few long awaited changes to the Local Electoral Act 2001.  LGNZ and the Society of Local Government Managers have been asking for the changes since the Justice and Electoral Report on the running of the 2004 Local Authority Elections. 

The plan is to get a Bill into the House early next year so that it will be enacted in time to apply to the 2013 elections.  The major changes are:

  • To allow councils to depart from a strict adherence to the +/-10 per cent rule (their plan is to create a provision similar to that which applies to regional councils, that is, any departure must be approved by the Local Government Commission).
  • Allow councils to make minor changes to ward/constituency boundaries without undertaking full representational reviews.
  • Stop councils undertaking representational reviews before March 1 in the year before an election (so that reviews will follow decisions about STV and Maori seats).
  • A requirement that candidate profile statements include information on where candidates principally live and whether or not candidates are standing for multiple positions.
  • To repeal provisions that allow candidates to retire after the close of nominations (except in the case of death etc).
  • To require that all members come into office at the same time, whether elected unopposed or not.
  • To provide an extra week for processing nominations.
  • To change the regulations to allow for electronic voting trials in 2013.
  • To put a note on voting papers to the effect that it is an offence to complete someone else's voting paper.

The proposed changes are all provisions we have sought since 2004.  Our challenge now is to get the incoming government and the new minister to realise the value of the proposals and give them some priority.  If they are to take effect in 2013 they will need to be enacted during 2012.

Posted 27 September 2011