The Hamilton east ward by-election is heating up with hoardings and flyers popping up over the east side of Hamilton.
The by-election is being held as a result of the passing of councillor Phillip Yeung in late September last year.
A total of 15 candidates will now spend the next month campaigning for the vacant east ward council seat in Hamilton.
The east ward has 55,369 electors who are entitled to vote.
Among the 15 candidates are Ryan Hamilton, Michael West and Mano Manoharan who all previously ran for council in the 2016 election.
Mr Hamilton narrowly missed out on becoming a councillor last election, finishing in eighth place with 4576 votes. Only six seats are available for each ward.
Mr West finished the 2016 election with 3031 votes while Mr Manoharan finished with 1480 votes.
Newcomers to the campaign include Meleane Burgess who is running to represent the diverse cultures in Hamilton.
She a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, practices as an associate chartered accountant and has worked for prominent Accounting firms in Hamilton over the past fiveyears. She is an alumni of the University of Waikato Management School where she completed a management degree majoring in accounting.
"I'm passionate about our growing city and believe it is important to ensure that with this fast-paced growth comes innovative, prudent planning and support for all aspects of community life which includes supporting local business through economic growth and realising ratepayers' aspirations for a liveable city," Ms Burgess said.
"My priorities for Hamilton are sensible and prudent financial management and accountability with rates. I am committed to the development and maintenance of community spaces."
The candidate who wins the by-election will have a salary of $71,638 per year, excluding any allowances.
Voting packs will be delivered to houses on the east side of Hamilton on January 26 and voting will run until February 17.
An official declaration of the result will be made on February 22.
The candidates are:
Possum Allen
Meleane Burgess
Robert Curtis
Deborah Fisher
Ryan Hamilton
Horiana Henderson
Peter Humphreys
Garrick Laing
Ross Macleod
Mano Manoharan
Mohammad Sarkaw
Chris Rollitt
Matthew Small
Maxine van Oosten
Michael West