Whakatāne Council TikTok dance video goes viral with 133,000 views

Community safety advisor Richard Hamer, along with staff members 'Santa' and 'Pink Shirt Guy', put their knees and trouser seams to the test.

Whakatāne District Council staff have busted out some racy dance moves in a video aimed at raising voter awareness, clocking more than 133,000 views on TikTok over a few days.

The video is part of the council’s ambitious Stand for Something elections campaign, which aims to achieve a record voter turnout this local election.

It shows three male staff members putting their trouser seams to the test as they drop and gyrate to Beyonce’s 2014 hit song, Partition.

The video parodies a viral dance video by NZ Cheap Cars, and shows the staff members dancing around the orange ballot bins being placed at supermarkets, churches, iwi offices and other spots around the district.

The video message, “Ready to drop your vote”, has been viewed about 65 more times than most of the council’s other videos since it launched its TikTok page a month ago.

It follows a video the council posted on TikTok the previous week, in which staff members dance to River Deep, Mountain High by the cast of Glee, letting people know that voting forms were being sent out. That video received more than 12,000 views.

The council’s community safety advisor, Richard Hamer, who features in the viral video, said he was happy to support the team’s efforts to reach the community.

“I’m always happy to stick my hand up in council to being on camera.

“Anything to support our teams to reach the community with positive messaging.

“The majority response has been awesome, and if it leads to a few more people voting, that’s excellent. And I had fun.”

“Pink shirt guy”, as he has been dubbed by fans, preferred not to be named, but said he needed to work on his posterior chain before dropping any more bins.

“But I hope it reminds people voting is important for the community.”

The council’s communications team said the video was part of a broader strategy towards making it easier for people to have their say, including mobile teams in the communities.

The focus was on accessibility, convenience, and participation.

The video is by far the council’s most popular video since it launched its TikTok council page on August 15 as part of a “refreshed social media approach”.

It contains a link to an interactive map showing where people can drop off their voting forms and it can also be viewed on the council’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

The map also includes all NZ Post boxes in the district.

Council chief executive Steven Perdia said the Stand for the Election campaign was designed to meet people where they are – both physically and digitally – and the viral TikTok video perfectly captured the campaign’s spirit.

“It’s been encouraging to see the positive response beyond the district. The video shows that making elections approachable and removing barriers to participation really resonates with people,” Perdia said.

“We’re taking this campaign directly to the community through face-to-face events, digital platforms, and by making voting as convenient as possible with ballot boxes in high-traffic locations.

“This is all part of our commitment to connecting with the community in meaningful ways.

“If our approach encourages even one more person to enrol, nominate as a candidate, or cast their vote by 11 October, then we’ve strengthened local democracy in the Whakatāne District.”

The majority of comments from viewers have been positive, with many expressing a desire to move to Whakatāne for the “work vibes” or challenging other councils to produce something similar.

So far, only Porirua City Council has taken up the challenge.

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