Policy.nz goes live to help voters choose – LGNZ

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) says the re-launch of Policy.nz is designed to address falling voting numbers at local elections.

First launched in 2017 to cover parliamentary elections, the Policy.nz website was expanded in 2019 to cover local elections. The site gathers candidate profiles and policies in a single place, making it easy for voters to compare views and to see which candidates align with what matters most to them.

Co-founder Ollie Neas says the Policy.nz tool was created to improve access to election information, to help people make an informed voting choice.

“Local government and councils play a huge role in the lives of New Zealanders, providing everyday services such as transport, water, building consents, parks, recycling, libraries and beyond. But fewer than half of New Zealanders voted in the last local elections, which is a real concern,” says Ollie Neas.

“According to research recently released by LGNZ’s Electoral Reform Working Group, not knowing who to vote for is one factor in declining numbers. It’s hard for voters to find out what candidates stand for and what they’ll do if they are elected, and the recent decline in community newspapers has exacerbated the issue.

“We set up the Policy.nz website to help people find this essential information. We’re strictly neutral, focused only on providing voters with the information they need to exercise their democratic right.”

LGNZ Interim Chief Executive Scott Necklen says he hopes the website will encourage more people to get out and vote.

“It’s vital that voter turnout improves on the 40 percent we saw in 2022 – by comparison the turnout for parliamentary elections in 2023 was 77.5%,” says Scott Necklen.

“Voters need to know who their candidates are and what they stand for, which is the point of Policy.nz. We don’t want local elections to feel like a game of ‘guess who?’. People need to know who is running in their area and what they will do if elected.

“Voter decisions at this election will have a direct impact on who makes decisions at the council table. These decisions affect people’s lives on a daily basis.

“This election is your chance to have a say about who represents you on council – so you need to use it to make an informed decision at voting time.”

View the Policy.nz website at https://policy.nz