Last chance to stand up for Waipā

Time is running out to put your name forward for local government and help shape the future of Waipā over the next three years. Nominations close at 12 noon on Friday, August 1.

People interested in standing as a candidate for Waipā’s local elections are being urged not to leave it too late to get their nomination forms in.

Governance manager Jo Gread says the correctly completed forms must be in the hands of our electoral officer by noon next Friday.

“We recommend candidates don’t leave it to the last minute. This will ensure that if there are any errors there is the opportunity to remedy these before the cut off, so candidates don’t miss out.”

You need to be a New Zealand citizen over 18 and enrolled to vote to be eligible to stand for election as the Mayor, a Councillor or Community Board member.

“You don’t need any specific qualifications to run for local government, and elected members can come from all backgrounds and walks of life.

“If we just have enough candidates for each ward, then those who have stood will be elected uncontested. And if there aren’t enough people to fill vacancies, then we’ll have to run a byelection, which is an extra cost to ratepayers,” Gread added.

Candidates interested in standing need to:

• Have two people nominate you who are over 18 and enrolled to vote in the area you plan to stand. You can’t nominate yourself and you must be on the roll as well.
• Agree to be nominated and pay a $200 deposit (which may be refunded depending on election results).
• Complete a nomination form and drop it off to Council offices or scan and email to waipa.elections@waipadc.govt.nz

For more information on how to stand, nomination forms, the candidate handbook and the pre-election report, visit waipadc.govt.nz/stand