Carterton candidate chalks up an election first

Mayoral aspirant Ruth Carter has made electoral history from Carterton after being the first Kiwi candidate to answer a voter through a world-first website.
Cassandra Crowley, Local Government Online general manager, described www.elections2010.co.nz as a "one-stop online shop" that seeks to reveal information on every local government candidate across New Zealand.
The centralised portal, supported through Local Government New Zealand, features candidate profiles and campaign platforms - through text, pictures, and video - information on voting, and electoral boundaries nationwide.
The launch of the site on August 2 was "a first in New Zealand and a first in the world", Ms Crowley said.
Carterton mayoral candidate Ruth Carter made history 22 days later when she became the first to answer a voter inquiry through a Q & A facility on the site (the query and reply are reprinted below). Rival candidate Ron Mark, who has established a presence on the site, has answered the same question, while fellow Carterton mayoral aspirant Bill Knowles is yet to load his profile, text and picture.
A question posed to Masterton mayoral candidates on Tuesday remained unanswered yesterday by any of the five aspirants named on the site, to which only Toi Walker had so far loaded his campaign details.
Ms Crowley said there had not been a comprehensive uptake to the site in Wairarapa despite the campaign facility being free to candidates. Site administrators had contacted and encouraged them to join weeks ago. "You do have to take into account that this is a world-first and there may be more than a few candidates who are not net-savvy, so to speak.
"Voting papers go out this week and we'll be getting the information that candidates submitted to the electoral office - but then how much can you really get across in 150 words or less?
"Ignoring new technologies and bemoaning poor voter turnout and participation is no longer acceptable," she said.
"Local government must strive to engage with communities using methods expected of other activities in our everyday lives - and our site encourages that."
Ms Crowley said the site would be "pushed again" next week through media outlets and councils; and once more candidates would be directly offered a chance to establish their presence on the site.
"Sitting in a cold town hall on a winter's evening to meet the candidates might not be relevant any more.
"We have over 3500 elected representatives working in local government, yet a large proportion of those eligible do not participate in the process of electing them."
Ms Crowley said local body elections were often viewed as "complex and difficult to navigate" even for those who regularly voted in central government elections.
Research commissioned by the Electoral Enrolment Centre showed over 60 per cent of those surveyed were unable to correctly identify when local government elections were being held and 40 per cent were unsure of how to vote.
"The site offers voters the ability to locate which elections are covered in that area by simply typing in an address, and candidates have the ability to post longer profiles and videos, identify their top election issues and provide links to their own dedicated sites."
Local body elections run from Friday (when voting papers are posted out) until midday October 9, after which the site will post elections results across the
- Question: If you are elected mayor, what will you do to encourage new businesses to Carterton and what will you do to assist people in the district wanting to start up their own business? - Lydon
- Answer: To continue the progress on the Industrial Park to attract more businesses to Carterton. Also having more communication with local businesses on a regular bases. To continue supporting the Wairarapa Chamber of Commerce as they assist and promote new business ventures.
For more information go to www.elections2010.co.nz