Kaipara’s local election voter turnout highest in six years

Kaipara's Wairoa General Ward candidates address a Dargaville meeting. The ward's local election voter turnout of more than 43% is the region's highest to date. Photo / Susan Botting

Kaipara District Council voter turnout is tracking higher than at the same stage of its previous two local elections.

The district was top of the region’s turnout leaderboard with an overall local voter election return of 38.9% as of October 8, the latest figures available at publication time.

That figure is ahead of a 32.6% voter return for Kaipara District Council (KDC) at the same point of the 2019 local elections, and 29.3% in 2022.

More than 7000 Kaipara electors have had their say on their options to vote for a KDC general ward, their Northland Regional Council (NRC) general constituency and NRC’s Māori constituency poll.

Electors in KDC’s Wairoa General Ward are leading the race when it comes to Northland’s voting returns.

Latest results show 3150 people, or 43.1% of the ward’s 7306 potential voters, have already submitted their documents for the 2025 election.

There are two days left for local election voting, which must be done by noon on Saturday, October 11.

Kaipara voters came out of the starting blocks early, while the biggest voting day for electors in the region’s two other district councils was Wednesday this week.

The Wairoa General Ward has so far pipped Whangārei District Council’s (WDC) Whangārei Heads General Ward, where 2175 people, or 41.1% of its 5287 electors, had voted.

Whangārei Heads General Ward achieved Northland’s highest council voting percentage turnout in the 2022 local elections with a 55% return.

WDC’s 67,004 electors were showing a 31.76% voter return as of October 8, with 21,225 people having voted.

Meanwhile, the 48,451 electors for the Far North District Council (FNDC) were on a 35.7% turnout, with 17,300 people voting so far.

The level of voter returns in the district’s four council wards ranges from 31.6% for Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward to 38.4% in the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward.

FNDC’s three community boards were showing a 35.7% turnout.

Council ward voting for FNDC to date is higher than at the same time in 2022, when 24.2% of electors had voted, but lower than the 36.4% recorded in 2019.

Returns for KDC’s three wards go from 34% for Kaiwaka-Mangawhai General Ward to Wairoa General Ward’s 43.1%.

Meanwhile, the lowest performer among WDC’s six wards is Whangārei District Māori Ward on 22.8%.

WDC voting returns to date are higher than at the same time in 2022 when 28.8% of electors had voted, but lower than in 2019 when the figure was 35%.

Across the region, 45,650 people have voted for Northland Regional Council (NRC) candidates, equivalent to a 34.1% voter return.

The percentage of electors having their say about the NRC seats is higher than at the same stage in 2022 when voter returns totalled 27.7%.

Returns in its eight electoral areas range from 29% in Te Raki Māori Constituency to 38.7% in the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency.

Meanwhile, the 52,169 electors voting in Northland’s three Māori electoral areas have achieved a 28.5% voter return, with 14,875 people having chosen their candidates to date.

FNDC’s Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward voter return rate tops the list with 4625, or 31% of its electors, having their say to date.

In NRC’s Te Raki Māori Constituency, 7875 people, or 29% of electors, have had their say.

While the numbers in WDC’s Whangārei District Māori Ward are 2375 electors or 22.8%.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.