How can I participate?

There are numerous ways to be involved in local government activities and decision-making.
If you are 18 years old or older , you may:

• vote in your local council elections
• be elected as a councillor or community board member

At any age, you may?

• make a feedback submission on the council’s annual plan, LTP or any other consultation process the council might run
• Attend and speak at council meetings (a schedule of meetings is published on the councils website).

Voting
Local authority elections take place every three years on the second Saturday in October. You can find our about candidates standing in your area from your councils website. To vote you must be:

• Over 18 years old
• enrolled as a parliamentary elector at the address where you live

Standing for election
You can stand for a mayoralty or membership of a council or community board if you are

• a New Zealand citizen
• at least 18 years old
• on the electoral roll

To stand as a candidate in the local elections you need to have two electors for that area nominate you. Public notices are given for when nominations must be received. Becoming a candidate costs $200. This may be refunded, depending on how many votes you receive.