Help for election candidates
13 June 2016
Aspiring councillors and community board members are being urged to find out more about what it takes to stand in the upcoming council elections.
Waipa voters will be able to vote for a mayor, councillors and community board members in October this year. Candidates who wish to put their names forward must do so by 12 noon on Friday August 12. Postal voting will open on September 16 and close on Saturday October 8. In most instances preliminary results will be declared that day.
In the last Waipa District Council election in 2013, 42 candidates put their names forward for council or community boards, including four people who stood for mayor.
There are five community board positions in both Cambridge and Te Awamutu. The remaining two positions on each community board are filled by elected Waipa District Councillors.
An information session for aspiring candidates, hosted by Waipa District Council, will be held at 6pm on June 23 at the Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapiro. The evening will allow potential candidates to find out what the roles involve and how to register as a candidate.
Only 40 per cent - just over 13,100 - of Waipa's eligible voters voted in the last election in 2013, down two per cent from the previous election in 2010.
The decrease mirrored a decline in turnout across New Zealand with just 42 percent of eligible voters nationwide casting a ballot in 2013. Traditionally most voters in local government elections are older. The poorest voter turnout is in the 18-29 year age group.
Waipa District Council Election | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 |
---|---|---|---|
Number of enrolled voters | 30,041 | 31,564 | 32,815 |
Percentage of people who voted | 34% | 42% | 40% |
Percentage of councillors re-elected | 75% | 67% | 58% |
Media enquiries, contact Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Council) 027 5077 599.