Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Local elections 2022: Students disengaged with elections, only half consider voting

By Emma Niven, Wintec Journalism student
Waikato Herald·
6 Sep, 2022 11:20 PMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Out of 20 Wintec students asked, only seven were aware of the upcoming local election later this month. Photo / Bevan Conley

Out of 20 Wintec students asked, only seven were aware of the upcoming local election later this month. Photo / Bevan Conley

A snap poll of students at Wintec suggests the pending local body elections have yet to get on their radar.

Just seven of 20 students asked by this writer said they were aware the country was going to the polls to elect its next set of mayors and councillors – and only nine said they would consider voting.

But the organisation promoting the elections, Elections.nz, says there was a big increase in the percentage of 18-to-24-year-olds who voted in the 2020 general election.

Chief electoral officer Alicia Wright said the total voting rate, 82.2 per cent, was the highest since 1999.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The youngest student asked, a 17-year-old, appeared to have the most knowledge of the students polled; however, one 20-year-old said: "I don't partake in politics".

None of the students could name Hamilton's mayor, Paula Southgate.

Elections NZ has launched an advertising campaign for the election, largely avoiding community newspapers and concentrating online.

Nominations have closed for seats and voting will close on October 8 after postal ballots are sent out later this month.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Get more local election news with Georgina Campbell every Tuesday with our politics podcast, On the Tiles - Local Edition

Discover more

The lowdown on a Single Transferable Vote election

21 Jun 07:20 PM

Local elections 2022: Strong competition for Māori ward seats

08 Sep 07:15 PM

Know your local candidates before you vote

05 Sep 07:20 PM

Hamilton mayoral candidate Geoff Taylor shares his views

15 Sep 07:50 PM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping

16 Jun 07:30 AM
Waikato Herald

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM
Waikato Herald

'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight

16 Jun 12:09 AM

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping
Waikato Herald

Tribesmen's alleged 'hotbox' murder after gang member's unauthorised online shopping

16 Jun 07:30 AM

Mark Hohua, known as Shark, was allegedly beaten to death by fellow gang members in 2022.

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death
Waikato Herald

Waihī house fire: Probe into cause of man's death

16 Jun 06:09 AM
'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight
Waikato Herald

'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight

16 Jun 12:09 AM
'Invitation to connect': Matariki Festival brings events to Waikato
Waikato Herald

'Invitation to connect': Matariki Festival brings events to Waikato

15 Jun 11:00 PM
Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka
sponsored

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP