Change could be on the cards for how residents of three Hawke's Bay areas vote.
Napier City, Wairoa District, and Hawke's Bay Regional councils are consulting on whether to change electoral systems from First Past the Post (FPP) and Single Transferable Vote (STV).
Under the Local Government Act, councils have an opportunity to decide which system will apply to local body elections in 2019, 2022, and any byelections. Councillors can decide whether to engage with the public on the decision, make their own choice, or simply roll over the status quo.
However the three councils are calling for community feedback on the matter, before making a decision.
Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said they "hope our community takes some time to consider the two electoral options carefully. We will certainly take on board any feedback received before making this important decision".
Currently the three councils use FPP. Under this, one tick is equivalent to one vote - you tick the box next to the candidate or candidates you wish to vote for. The candidate or candidates with the most votes wins. FPP results can usually be announced soon after voting ends and results show the total number of votes received.
Through STV candidates are 'ranked' beginning with the most preferred, with voters assigning 1 next to the most preferred, and so on. Residents only vote once, regardless of how many vacancies there are in the ward or constituency.
First preference votes are counted and candidates who reach a quota - calculated using the total number of valid votes cast and the number of vacancies - are elected. Then, the surplus votes for elected candidates are transferred according to voters' next preferences. This process repeats until the required number is elected.
Because STV vote counting is more complex, it can take longer. Results are usually announced showing elected candidates in the order they reached quota and unsuccessful candidates in the reverse order in which they were excluded.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council's electoral officer Leeanne Hooper said the community needed to think about which system would apply best to them.
"The voting system used influences the election results, so it's important to consider the pros and cons of FPP and STV and take the opportunity to tell us how you think the most effective representation for your community can be achieved."
Central Hawke's Bay District Council CE Monique Davidson said they were not considering a change.
Hastings District Council recently agreed to continue using the FPP system for the 2019 elections.
The other three councils are expected to decide on electoral system by September 12, 2017.
If no decision is made, the current electoral system rolls over. Whichever system is chosen will be notified by September 19. If 5 per cent of the public wish to challenge the decision they can request a poll at this time.
-Those wishing to have their say can do so - for any of the three councils - at www.napier.govt.nz/say-it. There is a drop-down menu for selection of the council - NCC, WDC or HBRC - submitters are feeding back on