How to stand
Who can be a candidate?
To be a candidate for an elected member position, you must be:
- a New Zealand citizen
- over 18 years old
- enrolled on the electoral roll.
You do not need any special qualifications. Elected members come from all backgrounds and walks of life.
To be effective you need a broad range of skills, such as:
- decision making and strategic thinking
- communication and community engagement
- relationship building and collaboration.
What makes a good candidate?
Local government is where decisions have a direct and visible impact – from road safety to where housing is built. Elected members are kaitiaki – guardians, advocates, listeners and community connectors.
The job of elected members is to govern – not to manage. This means to lead – to set the direction and priorities using best practice governance guidelines. Our elected members commission the budgets to enable the work programmes to achieve our priorities, establish policy, effectively monitor and hold to account, and champion our shared goals. Though elected by a ward, their duty is to the whole district.
Effective elected members can think beyond today’s headlines to focus on long-term outcomes, and know that making the right decision is not necessarily the popular decision.
If you’re ready to help lead Waipā through challenge and change, we welcome your nomination. We’re looking for people who care about Waipā, who have a learning mindset and are willing to listen, and who want to make thoughtful decisions for the community.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Elected Members get paid?
The Remuneration Authority is the independent body responsible for setting the pay for elected positions in local authorities. It also sets the rules for reimbursement of expenses incurred by Elected Members while carrying out their duties.
Each local authority is allocated a governance pool, which is the total pay pool for all Elected Members excluding the Mayor.
Individual councils are responsible for deciding how the pool is allocated, and generally this means those taking on additional responsibilities (such as chairing a committee) will receive a greater portion of the pool.
The remuneration for the Mayor is set individually by the authority.
For the 2024-25 financial year, the governance pool for Waipā District Council was $564,653 per year with a minimum sum per Councillor of $37,884. The Mayor’s remuneration was set at $150,770.
From July 1, 2025 to the date of the official election results in October, the governance pool has increased to $586,110 per year (pro rata).
From the date after the official election results are declared, the governance pool for Waipā will increase to $709,576 with a minimum sum per Councillor of $50,684. The Mayor’s remuneration will increase to $162,399.
Decisions how the governance pool will be allocated will be made at a Council meeting after the election. The decision will then be sent to the Remuneration Authority for approval.
Nomination process
- To stand for election in Waipā, you first need to be nominated. Candidates cannot nominate themselves.
- You must be nominated by two people, who are both over 18 and enrolled to vote in the area you are planning to stand.
- You need to complete a candidate nomination form, which is available to download from the links below, or collected in person from Waipā District Council offices at 101 Bank Street, Te Awamutu or 23 Wilson Street, Cambridge.
Once you have completed the form, you must pay a deposit of $200 (which may be refunded depending on election results) and either deliver it to one of the Council offices or scan and email to Waipa.elections@waipadc.govt.nz.
Nominations must be in the hands of the Electoral Officer before 12 noon on Friday, August 1. If you need any help, call 0800 924 723.
Candidate information
Download candidate information handbook
Find all the information you need to know if you are standing for Mayor, Council, or a Community Board in 2025.
Candidate information session
Watch the candidate information session below or download the candidate briefing presentation (PDF, 3.6MB).
Local Government NZ Candidates guide
Candidate security
Find out about the potential risks related to privacy, cyber security, personal security and foreign interference that may arise due to election related activities.
The Security advice for 2025 Local Government Election Candidates (PDF, 251KB) provides more visibility of potential privacy and security issues and explains mitigations that can be put in place.
Election signs
If you are planning to use signs in your campaign, there are a few rules you will need to know before you put them up.
- Physical election signs are permitted on private property only (with the landowner’s consent).
- Signs can go up from Friday, July 11, (three months prior to the Election Day) and must be removed by Tuesday, October 14 (three days afterwards).
- No election signs are allowed in public places.
- These include parks, reserves, footpaths, road reserves, state highways, public car parks and Council buildings.
- According to
the District Plan, setback provisions apply to Strategic Roads. Strategic Roads
include major arterial roads and minor arterial roads. The list of roads are
available on our
ePlan.
- Major arterial roads include state highways. They are key strategic routes that provide inter-regional connections.
- Minor arterial roads are strategic routes that provide intra-district connections.
District Plan rules for election signs
| Zone | Size of sign | Summary of other requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Rural | Maximum area of 3m2 | There is a setback at least 15m from any strategic road . One sign per site. |
| Residential, Medium Density Residential & Marae Development Zone | Total combined area of 3m2 visible in all directions. | There is a setback at least 15m from any strategic road . |
| Large Lot Residential | Total combined area of 3m2 visible in all directions. | There is a setback at least 15m from any strategic road . One sign per site. |
| Commercial | Total combined area of 3m2 visible in all directions. | There is a setback at least 15m from any State Highway. |
| Industrial |
Signs within
the Hautapu Industrial Structure Plan Area must be;
• Oriented to face the road from which vehicle access is obtained • Not visible from the SH1 Cambridge Bypass Placed so that where visible from Hautapu Road, Peake Road and Victoria Road or adjacent to the Hautapu cemetery, they are setback from the road boundary by 15m. | |
| Airport Business | Total combined area of 3m2 visible in all directions. | There is a setback at least 15m from any strategic road . Signs shall be oriented towards the road from which the site obtains its vehicular access. |
| Mystery Creek Events | Signs shall not exceed 3m2 | There is a setback at least 15m from any strategic road . Signs shall be oriented towards the road from which the site obtains its vehicular access. |
| St Peters School Zone | Total combined area of 3m2 visible in all directions. | There is a setback at least 15m from Hamilton Road. |
- Signs cannot block sight distances at entranceways or be closer than 20m from intersections.
- Signs cannot be internally lit, fluorescent or have moving materials.
- When attached to a building, no part of a sign can protrude above the eaves.
- When attached to a fence or wall, no part of the sign can protrude above the top of the fence or wall.
- An election sign is only permitted on a vehicle in the district if:
- the vehicle is not primarily used for the purpose of exhibiting the sign, and
- the sign does not protrude from the vehicle.
Our District Plan includes rules around signage which you must comply with, including specific rules in different zones.
