Time running out for candidates to stand in local elections this year

With nominations closing soon, LGNZ says there is still time for people to stand in the upcoming local elections.

Candidate nominations close this Friday 1 August at noon, with voting papers sent out from 9-22 September ahead of local elections on Saturday 11 October.

LGNZ Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene would like to see voters have a wide range of candidates to choose from this October.

"Electoral officers are saying that overall candidate nomination numbers are generally on par with the same time last election. There’s a lot of activity behind the scenes, which is encouraging — and we want to see this translate into a higher voting turnout,” says Susan Freeman-Greene.

“We also know from past elections that many candidates choose to wait until the final week to submit their nominations. We strongly encourage candidates not to leave things to the last day, to allow time for information to be checked and any issues resolved.”

Susan Freeman-Green says the more candidates standing at local elections, the more choice the community has on who represents their interests on council.

“Evidence tells us that the more candidates who contest a seat in an area, the higher the community’s interest will be in that election from a voting perspective.

“It’s good democracy when people have a choice of who to vote for, so we welcome candidates putting up their hand to say ‘I want to be a voice for my community’.”

LGNZ offers several other pieces of advice to candidates when making their nominations.

1. Candidates should thoroughly read their council’s candidate information ahead of putting in a nomination; some councils make a candidate handbook available while others maintain a webpage with key information.
2. LGNZ also has a candidate guide which explains the nominations process and what candidates can expect, alongside an Akona pre-election learning package.
3. Candidates should check their nominators’ enrolment details are correct and up to date. Some candidates in previous elections were unsuccessful with their nominations because their nominator or seconder were listed as living outside of the council area, or their stated address didn’t match the electoral roll.
4. Once nominations are in, candidates are encouraged to fill out the policy.nz website survey that is emailed to them. This will be a key tool to help people make informed voting choices this October, but only if candidates provide their bio and policy information — those who don’t could be left at a disadvantage.