Councillor nominations open soon for upcoming NRC election

Nominations for Northland Regional Council candidates will open from July 15. Photo / File

People keen to get involved in local body politics and to help shape Northland's future are being encouraged to stand at this year's local authority elections in October.

An official candidate nomination period starts in mid-July, with Northland's four councils collectively keen to encourage a diverse range of people to run for office.

Local authorities will begin hosting information meetings across the North for would-be councillors shortly, including combined events where possible.

Regional council Electoral Officer Dale Ofsoske said nominations for candidates would officially open on July 15, so anyone keen to stand as a candidate for one of the nine positions on the Northland Regional Council would have from then until noon on August to get their nominations in.

Ofsoske said anyone aged 18 and over could stand for election, provided they were a New Zealand citizen and enrolled on the parliamentary electoral roll.

In the regional council's case, seven general councillors will be elected from seven general constituencies (one from each) and two Māori councillors elected from a region-wide Māori constituency (Te Raki).

The general constituencies are Far North, Coastal Central, Coastal South, Kaipara, Mid North, Whangārei Central and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa.

Ofsoske added candidate information booklets were available on the Northland Regional Council website.

For people interested in standing for the Northland Regional Council, a number of future councillor information sessions will be held around Northland in the coming months:

Whangārei; 5pm on Wednesday, June 22 (hosted by Northland Regional Council and Whangarei District Council) Hihiaua Cultural Centre, 56-58 Herekino St, Whangarei.

Virtual Elections Hui; 7pm-8pm on Thursday 14 July (hosted by Northland Regional Council)

Kaitāia; 5pm on Monday, July 25 (hosted by Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council) Kaitāia Digital Hub, 66-70 Commerce St, Kaitaia.

Dargaville; 5pm on Thursday, July 28 (hosted by Northland Regional Council) Sportsville, Memorial Park, Logan St, Dargaville.

Kaikohe; 5pm on Wednesday, August 3 (hosted by Northland Regional Council and Far North District Council) Te Kona - Digital, Business and Learning Hub, 74 Guy Rd, Kaikohe.

Nomination forms will be available from July 15 from any regional council office, by phoning (0800) 002 004 or via download from the council's website: www.nrc.govt.nz/elections2022

Voting documents will be sent out from September 16 and must be received by the Electoral Officer by noon on election day, October 8.