Thousands of Northlanders can still vote in the local elections. Photo / Susan Botting
Thousands of Northlanders still have time to cast their local election vote for who they want to lead their district and region for the next three years.
Northland local elections close today at noon.
There are 165 nominations for Northland’s 62 local government political positions – three mayors, 40 councillors and 19 community board members.
Voting opened on September 9 and voting papers were sent out to enrolled residents last month.
For the Whangārei District Council (WDC), the mayor, 11 general ward councillors and two Māori ward councillors in the 14-member council will be decided, because all seats are contested.
The WDC’s latest available figures, from Thursday, October 9, showed 22,600 people, or 33.7% of the WDC’s 67,004 electors, had voted.
For the Far North District Council (FNDC), the mayor, six general ward councillors and four Māori ward councillors in the 11-member council will be decided.
Almost all the 19 positions across the FNDC’s three community boards are also up for grabs.
All seats are contested except for a single subdivision in two of the boards where there has been only a single nomination – in the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board and the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board.
For the Kaipara District Council (KDC), the mayor and eight general ward councillors in the nine-member council will be decided because all seats are contested.
The latest available figures, on Thursday October 9, showed 7400 people, or 40.4% of the KDC’s 18,327 electors, had voted.
For the Northland Regional Council (NRC), eight of its nine member councillor positions are still to be decided for seven of the council’s eight constituencies because all but one of these electoral areas is contested.
Geoff Crawford, the Mid North general constituency councillor and current chair, is already assured of his return to the council because he is the only nominee for this electoral area.
The NRC’s new council will choose its chair after the elections.
The latest available NRC figures, from Friday, October 10, showed 52,900 people, or 39.6% of the NRC’s 133,713 electors, had voted.
Meanwhile, Māori ward polling will be happening around the region.
Kaipara voters will get to have their say once in a binding poll on the future of the NRC’s Te Raki Māori Constituency.
This poll happens alongside district council elections – where Kaipara residents don’t get to have their say on the future of their council’s Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward, which was abolished about a year ago.
Voters across the rest of Northland will have their polling say twice – once for the FNDC and the WDC’s Māori wards and a second time for the NRC’s Māori constituency.
All special vote registration – for residents who did not receive their voting papers before August 1, or have lost or damaged them – must be finished on Friday, but special voting can be dropped into ballot boxes until noon on Saturday.
Where to drop your votes
Completed voting papers for ordinary votes and special votes can be popped in orange ballot boxes across Northland before midday.
Where to vote
Far North:
Saturday
All FNDC voting, including delivery of special votes, can only be done at the council’s Kaitāia, Kerikeri and Kaikohe offices.
Kaipara:
Saturday
Ordinary and special votes can be dropped off at the locations below until noon.
Dargaville KDC office
Dargaville Library
Dargaville Woolworths
Kaiwaka Four Square
Maungatūroto Four Square
Ruawai Four Square
Mangawhai KDC office
Mangawhai Library
Mangawhai New World
Whangārei:
All WDC ballot boxes will be in place – following host business hours – until Saturday at noon.
Anybody wanting to lodge a special vote on Saturday can only do so at WDC’s Te Iwitahi civic centre or the council’s Ruakākā service centre.
Head to the Northern Advocate from 3pm today for the results.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.