How to Vote

From 21 September 2022, you can vote in your local body elections selecting your next Mayor, Councillors and Community Board members to represent your voice in decisions made for your community!

Who can vote?

You need to be enrolled to vote. Check if you’re enrolled or update your details at elections.org.nz.

Voting

Voting is now closed.

You could drop your voting papers anytime from Friday 16 September until 12 noon, Saturday 8 October at any Waipā District Council Office or the external voting drop-off box at the Te Awamutu Library, or visit one of our participating supermarkets where our new orange ballot bins are stationed.

Other locations:

This year, you can also post your voting papers at the following participating supermarkets in the relevant orange ballot bin:

Countdown Cambridge
Countdown Te Awamutu
Fresh Choice Leamington
Fresh Choice Te Awamutu
New World Cambridge
Pak ‘n’ Save Te Awamutu

Postal Voting

You can also post your vote at any NZ Post Box nationwide as long as you get it in the post no later than Tuesday 4 October to ensure it is received in time to be counted – and then include the click here and please enter.

Click here to find out where your nearest NZ Post box is

Please enter the city/town name you’re looking for and a display a map of the Post Shop locations will pop up. Please click on 'show all filters' and select 'post a letter’ to show the locations.

Special Vote

Special votes are available if:

your name does not appear on the final published electoral roll, but you qualify as an elector
after the mail delivery on Wednesday 22 September, you still have not received a voting pack
you spoil or damage the voting document you received in the post
you will be travelling during the voting period (from 16 September to 12 noon on 8 October 2022).

You can either phone and request a special voting pack to be posted out to you, or call into either the Te Awamutu or Cambridge Council offices during our normal office hours. Both offices will be also be open on Saturday 1 October and Saturday 8 October from 9am to 12 pm for special voting.

Although you can cast a special vote when you have not enrolled to vote, you will have to enrol by Friday 7 October 2022 for your vote to be valid.

Enrol & update your details to vote

If your details have changed please update your details. Check to see if your address is up to date using the link below, you will also be able to check if you’re on the Māori roll or General roll. It just takes a few minutes to enrol and check your details by visiting www.vote.nz.

You can also call 0800 36 76 56 or visit your local Post Shop.

Check or update your enrolment details here

Māori Roll & General Roll

If you’re of Māori descent and enrolling for the first time, you have an important choice to make. You need to decide which electoral roll you want to be on: the general roll or the Māori roll. The roll you choose decides which electorate you vote for both the central government and local government elections.

If you choose to be on the Māori roll, you will get to vote for the Mayor, candidates for the Māori Ward, and the candidates for the community boards (if applicable).
If you choose to be on the General roll, you will get to vote for the Mayor, the candidates for the general wards and the candidates for the community boards (if applicable).

If you identified that you are of New Zealand Māori descent when you enrolled to vote, you will get a Māori Electoral Option pack in the mail every 5 years (after every census). You then have four months to indicate whether you wish to stay on the same roll, or change rolls for the next 5 years. The last Māori Electoral Option was held in 2018.

For those already enrolled, the next opportunity to change rolls will be in 2024. Only Māori enrolling for the first time or re-enrolling after having previously been removed from the roll are able to choose to enrol on the Māori Roll in the interim.

To find out more visit: www.vote.nz/general-roll-or-maori-roll

Enrolment as a Ratepayer Elector

You may qualify to vote in Waipā District local body elections.

There are two types of electors:

Residential Electors: If you’re registered to vote on the electoral roll, you are automatically enrolled to vote in local authority elections. You will receive a voting document so that you can vote by post.
Ratepayer Electors: You may also be eligible to enrol as a non-resident ratepayers elector in a council district if both these apply:
- You are in the district valuation roll and pay rates in the council district
- The address where you are registered as a Parliamentary elector is outside that council district.

Your eligibility to enrol or be nominated as a ratepayer elector may also depend in your individual circumstances as determined by criteria in the Local Electoral Act 2001 and its regulations.

If you believe you meet the criteria to enrol as a ratepayer elector, please read and complete the below form