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General information
Candidates
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Members
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Election day is Saturday 8 October 2022 with voting closing at 12 noon. The voting period starts on Friday 16 September 2022.
The electoral officer has full responsibility for running the election.
The electoral officer is:
Dale Ofsoske
Independent Election Services Ltd
Electoral Office: Level 2, 198 Federal Street,
Auckland
Phone: 0800 922 822
Email: dale.ofsoske@electionservices.co.nz
The council’s electoral liaison person is:
Helen Begg, Corporate Policy Officer
New Plymouth District Council
84 Liardet Street, New Plymouth
Phone: 06 759 6102
Email: helen.begg@npdc.govt.nz
The New Plymouth District Council will use the STV electoral system and the Taranaki Regional Council will use the FPP electoral system. For more information, check out the FAQs Voting section.
Electors will be able to vote for the mayor, ward councillors, community board members and Taranaki Regional Council members.
There are no longer elections held for district health boards.
Following the decision to establish a Māori ward in 2021, New Plymouth District Council undertook a representation arrangements review (review of wards, boundaries, numbers of elected members etc).
As a result of this, there will be 14 councillors, elected as follows:
In addition, there will be 20 community boardmembers elected as follows:
‘At-large’ is where councillors are elected by all electors from across the district. Wards are where councillors are elected by electors from specific areas within the district i.e. from a specific general or Māori ward area.
Māori ward councillors are elected by those enrolled to vote on the Māori electoral roll.
Similarly, general ward councillors are elected by those enrolled to vote on the general electoral roll.
mayor:
Councillors:
Community board members:
You must be a New Zealand citizen and your name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand).
You will need to have two electors registered in the area of the election you are standing for to nominate you – e.g. if you stand for the Kōhanga Moa General Ward, the nominators will need to be two electors enrolled on the General Parliamentary Electoral Roll. (Note the candidate does not need to reside in the area in which they are standing but will need to disclose that fact in their candidate profile statement).
The nominators must also be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll at the address they are listed on the nomination paper (which must be in the area that they are nominating the person for).
Nominations open on Friday 15 July 2022. If you would like a nomination paper and candidate information handbook sent out, please contact the electoral office closer to this date. Nomination papers will also be available on our website from 15 July 2022.
There is a candidate information handbook available.
Candidate campaigning can commence any time prior to the election (no time restriction), but any expenditure made within or outside the three-month applicable period before election day must be accounted for.
You will need to pay a nomination deposit of $200 GST inclusive. This deposit applies to each election you stand for. Your nomination deposit can be paid by cash, EFTPOS, credit card or electronic bank transfer. Cheques will not be accepted. If you poll more than 25% of the final quota as determined by the last iteration (for STV elections) you will receive your nomination back.
Nothing formal. Elected members come from all walks of life and generally have a will/desire to serve the community.
All (or some) of the following capabilities will be useful in the elected member role:
No, not for the New Plymouth District Council elections.
Three years.
No, but you must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand) and be a New Zealand citizen (by birth or naturalisation ceremony). You will however need to disclose whether or not you reside in the area you are standing for in the candidate profile statement.
The two people who nominate you must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll within the area you are standing for.
No. To be eligible you must be a New Zealand citizen and your name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand).
You will need to be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the Māori electoral roll within the area of election for which you are standing.
Equally if you are on the Māori electoral roll you can stand in a general ward, and will need to be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the general electoral roll within the area of election for which you are standing.
You can stand for mayor and a councillor, and a community board member but if you are elected to more than one position, you take the highest ranked position.
You cannot stand for more than one ward or for both an ‘at-large’ councillor position and a ward councillor position.
You also cannot stand for both the New Plymouth District Council and the Taranaki Regional Council.
Only if it is withdrawn before the close of nominations. You cannot withdraw voluntarily after nominations have closed. If you decide to opt out, your name will still appear on the voting document.
If you do change your mind and decide not to run for election after you have been nominated, let the electoral officer know who will talk through the issues with you. However, if you become incapacitated with serious illness or injury and unlikely to be able to perform the functions and duties if elected to office, an application to withdraw your nomination on those grounds can be made. Verification from a doctor or lawyer about your situation will be required. See the electoral officer if you need more information about this process.
You may provide a candidate profile statement when you lodge your nomination. This is a statement of up to 150 words containing information about yourself and your policies and intentions if elected to office. The profile statement will be included in the voting packs that all electors receive.
Your candidate statement can be submitted in Māori and English, but the information contained in each language must be substantially consistent with the information contained in the other language. Each language has to be within a 150-word limit.
Your profile statement must be true and accurate. The electoral officer is not required to verify or investigate any information included in your statement.
Your profile can include a recent passport size colour photograph.
In addition, your candidate profile statement must state whether or not your principal place of residence is in the area you are seeking election, e.g., ‘My principal place of residence is in the Kōhanga Moa General Ward’, or ‘My principal place of residence is not in the Kōhanga Moa General Ward’. This is not part of the 150-word limit.
See section 61 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 for more information.
Nominations close at 12 noon Friday 12 August 2022.
It is strongly recommended that candidates do not leave lodging their nomination until the last day, as to do so may mean having to queue and should there be an error with the nomination, little time to have it corrected.
There is a limit on what you can spend on your campaign and it relates to the population of the area you are standing for.
The maximum amount that can be spent by a candidate cannot exceed the limits set out below:
| Local government area population | Expenditure limit |
| Up to 4,999 | $3,500 |
| 5,000 – 9,999 | $7,000 |
| 10,000 – 19,999 | $14,000 |
| 20,000 – 39,999 | $20,000 |
| 40,000 – 59,999 | $30,000 |
| 60,000 – 79,999 | $40,000 |
| 80,000 – 99,999 | $50,000 |
| 100,000 – 149,999 | $55,000 |
| 150,000 – 249,999 | $60,000 |
| 250,000 – 1,000,000 | $70,000 |
| 1,000,000 or more | $100,000* |
*plus 50 cents for each elector
For example, a candidate in the Kōhanga Moa General Ward (which has a population in the range of 5,000 – 9,999) can spend up to $7,000 inclusive of GST.
If you stand for more than one position, the amount you can spend is the highest amount for one position. You cannot add positions together to allow you to spend more than the limit.
All candidates are required to lodge an electoral donations and expenses return within 55 days after the day on which the successful candidates are declared to be elected (by 9 December 2022).
If a candidate is outside New Zealand on this day, the return must be filed within 76 days after election result day.
If a return is not submitted within the required time period, the non-return will be advised to the New Zealand Police for enforcement.
The return needs to be received before a candidate nomination deposit is refunded if appropriate.
Yes, you can raise funds and claim expenses from your campaign. There is very specific legislation about donations and expenses which you need to abide by. See the electoral officer if you need more information.
Election campaigning can start at any time and continue up to and including election day.
No, elected members cannot use council resources for their campaigns.
Yes. Councils have policies or guidelines for web and social media use related to campaigning. They will not permit council social media pages to be used by anyone (candidates or members of the public) for electioneering or campaigning in the three months before election day. Councils monitor their websites and take down any campaign related posts.
No, candidates or their assistants should not collect voting documents from electors. Each elector should post or deliver their own voting document to the electoral officer.
It is an offence (carrying a fine of up to $5,000 if convicted) to interfere in any way with an elector with the intention of influencing or advising the elector as to how he or she should vote. Candidates and their assistants should be mindful of this particularly if campaigning occurs in facilities such as rest homes or hospitals.
The preliminary electoral roll will be available for public inspection for a one-month period from Friday 15 July 2022 to Friday 12 August 2022.
The preliminary electoral roll will be available for inspection at:
The availability of the above locations is subject to any COVID-19 restrictions in place. Should any COVID-19 restrictions be in place, refer to our website.
You will automatically appear on the electoral roll that is used for these elections
Or
You need to complete an enrolment form for this. You can either:
- enrol online at www.vote.nz
- ring 0800 36 76 56
- send your name and address to Freetext 3676
- download a form at www.vote.nz
- pick a form up at your local New Zealand Post agency
Or
If you own a property in this district and it is not your main residence you may be able to enrol as a non-resident ratepayer elector.
You should enrol where you spend the greater part of your time.
Not necessarily. If you are enrolling for the first time you can decide whether you want to go on the Parliamentary Māori Electoral Roll or the Parliamentary General Electoral Roll by signing the appropriate panel on the parliamentary elector enrolment form.
However, if you have already made that choice you will have to wait until the next Māori Option period to change, which occurs following the next census, likely in 2023.
If a person is enrolled on the Māori Electoral Roll, that person will be able to vote for the mayor, the ‘at-large’ councillors, the Māori ward councillor and the respective community board members. If a person is enrolled on the General Electoral Roll, that person will be able to vote for the mayor, the ‘at-large’ councillors, the respective general ward councillors and the respective community board members.
The Electoral Commission will be undertaking a roll update campaign at the beginning of July 2022 for the Parliamentary Electoral Roll which forms the basis of the electoral roll for the New Plymouth District Council elections.
If you do not receive a letter in the post in early July 2022 the chances are you are not enrolled, or your details are incorrect. You will then need to complete a Parliamentary Electoral Roll enrolment form.
You can check to see if you are enrolled at www.vote.nz or by phoning 0800 36 76 56.
Yes, but you need to make sure you have enrolled which you can do provisionally from the age of 17 and it automatically changes when you turn 18.
You will also need to apply for a special vote during the voting period (Friday 16 September 2022 to 12 noon, Saturday 8 October 2022).
Yes, subject to being eligible as a non-resident ratepayer elector and becoming enrolled.
Download a non-resident ratepayer enrolment form or phone 0800 922 822.
The non-resident ratepayer enrolment form should be returned to the electoral officer or an electoral official by 12 August 2022 and no later than 7 October 2022 in order to vote.
If it is after Friday 12 August 2022, a special voting document will need to be requested and will be issued on 16 September 2022, the start of the voting period.
Is your name on the rates notice? Yes
You may be eligible to be on the ratepayer electoral roll. Contact the electoral office on 0800 922 822 and request a ratepayer enrolment form. This should be returned to the electoral officer or an electoral official by 12 August 2022 and no later than 7 October 2022 in order to vote. If it is after Friday 12 August 2022, a special voting document will need to be requested and will be issued on 16 September 2022, the start of the voting period. If it is easier you can call at a special voting venue during the voting period (Friday 16 September 2022 to 12 noon Saturday 8 October 2022) and complete the ratepayer enrolment form and have your special vote at the same time. For special vote availability, see below. In no case does this allow you to have two votes at an election.
Is your name on the rates notice? No
You may not be eligible to be on the ratepayer electoral roll. Contact the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
All local authority elections will be conducted by postal vote. Voting documents will be delivered by NZ Post between Friday 16 September 2022 and Wednesday 21 September 2022.
There is no online voting option available.
Is it before Wednesday 21 September 2022 and I believe I am correctly registered on the electoral roll? Yes
Please wait until the mail has been delivered on Wednesday 21 September 2022. If your voting document is not received, then please call the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
Is it after Wednesday 21 September 2022 and I believe I am correctly registered on the electoral roll? Yes
You will need to apply for a special vote
Is it after Wednesday 21 September 2022 and I believe I am not correctly registered on the electoral roll? No
You will need to complete a Parliamentary Electoral Roll enrolment form. These are available at any New Zealand Post agency, or you can enrol online at www.vote.nz or ring 0800 36 76 56 or send your name and address to Freetext 3676. You will need to apply for a special vote.
Use the original one and destroy the special vote.
No – Power of Attorney does not apply to voting for that person.
If they are overseas, you could fast post them to the person or destroy them if that is not practicable.
If they are for an elderly parent who is incapable of voting, please destroy them by ripping/cutting them up. You cannot vote on their behalf unless instructed by them.
Write GNA (Gone No Address) on the envelope and put it back in the mail.
It is a legal requirement to scan the barcode to mark the electoral roll that you have returned your vote so we can ensure that we do not receive two votes from the same person.
Returned envelopes containing a voting document cannot be opened until there is a JP present. The JP is required to sign off that the processes used by the electoral officer meet the legal requirements.
Note that the voter’s name is not shown on the voting document.
When the envelope is opened the only thing the electoral office is looking for is that the vote for each election is valid.
This means that for STV elections we make sure that no preference numbers are used more than once or omitted, (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5), and that there is always a number 1 marked against a candidate’s name. It should be like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., in numerical order up to as many preferences as the voter wishes to vote for.
For FPP elections we are making sure that the voter’s intention is clear and the voter has not ticked or marked more than the number of candidates than there are vacancies.
No, you don’t have to vote, but we do encourage you to vote and exercise your democratic right.
You don’t have to vote for all candidates or for all elections. But your vote is important because the people elected will be responsible for making decisions about what happens in your community for the next three years.
To help you get to know about the candidates:
You can post it but make sure you have it in the mail by Tuesday 4 October 2022 to make sure it gets back to us in time (by 12 noon Saturday 8 October 2022).
However, you can also hand deliver your voting document to a ballot box during the voting period (Friday 16 September 2022 to 12 noon Saturday 8 October 2022).
You can use an envelope of your own and put the return address and Freepost number on it. (You will not need to put a stamp on the envelope if you write the Freepost number on the envelope and post it in New Zealand).
Freepost number 4170
The Electoral Office
New Plymouth District Council
PO Box 5135
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142
You will need to apply for a special vote – for special vote availability, see below.
Are you on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll for the address you want to vote for? Yes
You will need to apply for a special vote – for special vote availability, see below.
Are you on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll for the address you want to vote for? No/Don’t Know
If you are not enrolled or not enrolled correctly on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, you will need to complete an enrolment form for this. You can pick one up at any New Zealand Post agency, or you can enrol online at www.vote.nz or ring 0800 36 76 56 or send your name and address to Freetext 3676. This form needs to be with the Registrar of Electors before close of business Friday 7 October 2022. You will need to apply for a special vote – for special vote availability, see below.
If you can amend it so that your voting intention is clear, then do so.
If necessary, we can issue you with a special voting document (for special vote availability, see below), but this will take time and require you to complete a declaration.
Special votes can be obtained from:
The availability of the above location is subject to any COVID-19 restrictions in place. Should any COVID-19 restrictions be in place, refer to our website.
You will need to apply for a special vote, see above.
Under STV you can vote for all or as many candidates as you wish but these must be in order of your preference and no number can be repeated. Remember for STV, you rank the candidates you want to elect from number 1 onwards.
For FPP you can vote for as many candidates as you want to but not more than the number of positions available on the voting document. So, if you are electing one regional council member then you can vote for one candidate. Remember, for FPP you tick the candidate you want to elect.
You can decide not to vote for one or more of the different elections on your voting document. This does not invalidate votes for other elections on your voting document.
You can only vote for the elections relevant to the area in which you live. You cannot vote for a candidate who is standing for example in another ward because you are not an elector of that other ward.
You will need to call the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
You will need to call the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
No, your vote remains secret under the required separate roll scrutiny and vote counting procedures.
Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, you cannot interfere or influence any person as to how they can vote.
If authorised by a voter who is physically impaired, visually impaired or for whom English is a second language, a person can assist them to vote as directed by the voter
They are delivered to the New Plymouth District Court and kept for 21 days so that the Court can access them should there be any application for a recount or petition for inquiry.
After 21 days, the Court is responsible for destroying them.
STV is used for the New Plymouth District Council elections.
STV stands for single transferable voting and is a preferential system of voting where you can rank as few or as many candidates as you like. It is a single vote which can be transferred between candidates to ensure the vote contributes to the election of at least one candidate and is not wasted.
If a popular candidate does not need all the votes they receive, a proportion is transferred to the voter’s next preference. On the other hand, if a candidate is not popular and receives few votes, those votes are transferred to a voter’s next preference.
For more information about STV, go to www.stv.govt.nz
To exercise an STV vote, start by writing the number 1 in the box next to the candidate you most want to be elected. Write the number 2 next to your second most preferred candidate and so on 3, 4, 5 etc.
You can write as many preferences or as few as you like up to however many candidates are standing for that election.
You must write the number 1 for your vote to be counted. Do not write the same number more than once, e.g., 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, and do not miss a number from your preferences, e.g., 1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
This is the first past the post (FPP) voting system and used for the Taranaki Regional Council elections. The candidate that gets the most votes win.
You should mark those you want to vote for with a tick in the circle. Do not vote for more than the number of candidates shown in the instructions.
Progress results will be announced in the afternoon of election day.
Preliminary results will be announced on Sunday 9 October 2022, once all votes received at the council offices (up until 12 noon on election day) have been delivered to the electoral office in Auckland and processed.
The official results will be announced when special votes have been checked and included in the final result, expected to be Thursday 13 October 2022.
Candidates
Will be advised as soon as possible after progress results are known on Saturday 8 October 2022, and preliminary results are known on Sunday 9 October 2022. This may be by email or phone.
Voters
Progress and preliminary results will be released to the media and placed on our website as soon as practicable on the afternoon of Saturday 8 October 2022 and on Sunday 9 October 2022 respectively.
Under legislation a candidate can challenge the declaration of results through either a judicial recount or a judicial inquiry. A candidate will have to provide reasons for the challenge and a deposit of $750 with the application to the New Plymouth District Court. A candidate may wish to call the electoral office on 0800 922 822 to discuss this.
Elected members take up office the day after the official result has been declared by public notice. However, members cannot act until they have sworn the oath of office which is usually at the first meeting of the council or community board. This first meeting is usually held as soon as practicable after the final election results are known.
Ultimately the elected members final responsibility is to the local community. The Minister of Local Government and the Auditor–General do have a role in ensuring that Council follows the law.
The Remuneration Authority sets the payment levels for elected members. Payments are based on population and annual expenditure. The salary is adjusted annually. Elected members are not able to decline to accept a salary.
Elected members have the ability to claim for a range of expenses incurred as part of their role including mileage and communications equipment.
Elected members are classified as self employed and are responsible for payment of ACC levies from their own income. Some expenses may be able to be reclaimed from IRD.
The following table shows the expected remuneration figures.
| Office | Annual remuneration ($) as at 1 July 2022 | Following 2022 Election ($) |
| Mayor | 154,128 | 160,757 |
| Deputy Mayor | 82,308 | To be determined by Council (following the election) from a pool of 869,359. Minimum Councillor salary of 48,531. |
| Committee Chairpersons (4) | 61,731 to 66,875 | |
| Councillors | 51,442 | |
| Clifton Community Board Chairperson | 12,821 | 12,604 |
| Clifton Community Board member | 6410 | 6,302 |
| Inglewood Community Board Chairperson | 15,254 | 17,563 |
| Inglewood Community Board member | 7,627 | 8,782 |
| Kaitake Community Board Chairperson | 13,706 | 15,212 |
| Kaitake Community Board member | 6,853 | 7,606 |
| Puketapu-Bell Community Board Chairperson | N/A | 16,928 |
| Puketapu-Bell Community Board member | N/A | 8,464 |
| Waitara Community Board Chairperson | 15,254 | 16,928 |
| Waitara Community Board member | 7,627 | 8,464 |
Being an elected member is a busy job that often involves meetings, events and speaking with community members outside of normal business hours. Flexibility and the ability to prioritise and manage time effectively are essential. This includes balancing a high volume of reading, paperwork and emails with a schedule of meetings and public commitments.
Consequently, the mayor is considered a fulltime job and councillors and community board members are generally part-time jobs.
More information on what is expected of elected members will be available at the candidate information briefing to be held at New Plymouth District Council Chambers, 84 Liardet Street, New Plymouth from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm on Saturday 16 July 2022.
Elections are being held for:
Council’s Election signs are referenced in the Local Electoral Act 2001 and Council’s District Plan – which must be complied with.
All election material, including signs and hoardings, must show:
An authorisation statement, including:
Contact details to include one or more of the following:
This applies to election advertising, using any media, during a candidate’s entire campaign.
The statement(s) are exempt from the lettering sizes stated above.
Not to do so is an electoral offence.
Refer section 113 Local Electoral Act 2001.
Election signs are classified as Advertising Signs in the New Plymouth District Plan. No election signage is permitted in or above public areas, which includes reserves, roads, footpaths, berms and state highways. Election signage cannot be fixed to utility poles or other structures on public land, including vehicles and trailers.
Election signs are however permitted on private land provided that the related New Plymouth District Plan and the Building Act are complied with.
Election signs may be erected for a maximum period of 12 months but must be removed within seven days of the election (i.e. by Sunday 16 October 2022).
You will need to call the electoral office on 0800 922 822.
You will need to call the council on 06 759 6060.
You will need to call the council on 06 759 6060.
