Change to vote rules is sensible

A BID to change the rules around local body elections is going to be promoted by the Wanganui District Council - and not without good reason. Our council, like many others around the country, faces the prospect of holding by-elections when a vacancy occurs around the council table, whether by fate or design.

Either way, if those vacancies occur more than 12 months before the next triennial local body election, a by-election is required by statute. If the vacancy happens less than a year before the next elections then councils do not have to hold a by-election; they can appoint a replacement.

But what happens if the vacancy comes soon after the election? That's what happened in Wanganui when Michael Laws resigned to move south, a matter of months after the October 2013 vote.

Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan has been pushing for the change, arguing that in such cases council should have the right to appoint a replacement. The cost of by-elections certainly lends weight to her argument - they have cost Wanganui ratepayers around $45,000 each time they have been held and, given there have been a few in recent years, it's an unwelcome burden on an already cash-strapped community.

Mrs Baker-Hogan tried last year to get council to endorse a change but lost that round. She had it back on the agenda this week, and her revised argument - allowing the appointment of the next highest-polling candidate if a resignation happens six months or less after an election - got her colleagues' backing. It's a long way from a done deal.

It has to be supported by other local authorities, Local Government NZ and finally will need the seal of central government before it becomes reality. But such a change to electoral legislation makes sense and this proposal deserves broader debate and, hopefully, acceptance at the highest level.