LGNZ urges more people to run for council

LGNZ is calling for more people to put their hands up to stand in this year’s local elections in October.

Nominations opened yesterday, with prospective candidates required to submit their nomination before the cutoff date of 12 noon on 1 August. To help potential candidates make this decision, LGNZ has produced a handy 2025 candidate’s guide.

LGNZ also offers a comprehensive range of pre-elected learning materials via its online learning platform, Ākona.

LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene says a hallmark of healthy democracy is when people are willing to represent their community around the council table.

“This year we’ll have 1465 seats available across 66 councils, including 66 Mayoral seats and 683 community board seats. There will also be 127 seats up for election across the 11 regional councils,” says Susan Freeman-Greene.

“At the last local election, we had 3119 people standing across 1607 seats across the country; a ratio of almost two people for every seat. Seven mayors were elected unopposed into their roles in the last election, while 40% of members elected for the first time.

“Obviously we’d like to have more candidates standing, as evidence tells us that the more candidates who are contesting a seat, the higher the voter turnout will be. And ultimately, we want more New Zealanders heading to the polls to have their say; the 42% voter turnout at the 2022 local elections was not good enough.”

Susan Freeman-Greene says that elected members can come from all walks of life.

“Being an elected member is an important and public role. There’s no question it’s a demanding job but it’s also very rewarding. Every day councils make important decisions that impact future generations – from infrastructure investment like roads, bridges and pipes, to climate resilience.”