By-election called for Kaikohe representative

A by-election has been called in Kaikohe.

A by-election has been called for a new Kaikohe representative on the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board following the resignation of Kelly van Gaalen.

Mrs van Gaalen polled the highest of any candidate in her ward, with 1211 votes to the next highest candidate's 922, in the 2013 local government elections.

However, she resigned last month after being found guilty of possession of cannabis for supply.

On July 30 she was sentenced to two years in jail.

The by-election will be carried out by postal ballot with voting closing at noon on October 28.

Nominations to fill the vacancy will open on August 4 and close on September 1. Nomination forms are available from the council offices in Kaikohe, from www.fndc.govt.nz, or by phoning 0800 922 822. Candidates must be New Zealand citizens and must be enrolled to vote.

People who live in the community board's Kaikohe subdivision will receive voting papers in the mail, but they must be enrolled to vote. They can be on the Maori or general parliamentary roll.

Anyone unsure whether they are enrolled to vote can inspect the electoral roll at any PostShop, court house or library.

To get enrolled, or to change details such as your address, you can get a form by calling 0800 36 76 56, freetexting your name and address to 3676, calling in at any PostShop, or downloading it from www.elections.org.nz.

Kaikohe has three seats on the six-member Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board. Its remaining members are Pauline Evans (chairwoman, North Hokianga subdivision), Garry Clarke and Louis Toorenburg (South Hokianga), and John Schollum and Win Stephens (Kaikohe). Mrs van Gaalen was also the chairwoman of the Kaikohe Community Arts Council and a part-time projects and promotions manager for the Kaikohe Business Association.