Local Authority elections
Local Authority Elections are held every three years to give the public the opportunity to vote for who they want to be their Mayor and the Councillors they think will best represent and help better their community.
To vote you must be 18 years or over, and currently enrolled to vote. You can enrol in an electorate if you live in that area, however there are some exceptions for non-resident ratepayers.
Local Authority Elections are held on the second Saturday in October. Elections involve all residents over 18 years within the Waikato district who are enrolled on the electoral roll. Voting is conducted by a postal vote with Special Votes available to those who need them.
2010 nominated candidates
Nominations close on 20 August 2010 for Waikato District Mayor, Councillors and Community Board members.
Find out more about our elections
for information on our local elections including ward maps, enrolment and candidate information follow the links below.
For general information visit www.elections.org.nz and www.elections2010.co.nz
Candidate information
Ward maps
Key dates
The Local Authority Elections will be held on Saturday 9 October 2010.
| March - June |
Non-resident ratepayer enrolment |
| 23 July |
Nomination of candidates opens |
| 23 July |
Electoral rolls open for inspection |
| 20 August |
Nominations close |
| 20 August |
Rolls close |
| 25 August |
Public notice of candidate names |
| 17 September |
Postal delivery of voting papers commences. Special Votes are provided for at WDC offices from this day |
| 9 October |
Election Day. WDC offices and libraries will be open to receive voting papers and Special Votes from 9am-12pm
|
How to enrol
It’s easy to enrol to vote if:
- You are 18 years or older
- You are a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident
- You have lived in New Zealand for more than one year continuously at some time in your life
To obtain an enrolment form visit the elections website www.elections.org.nz and enrol or update your details online.
Maori electorate option
If you are of Maori descent you may be enrolled for a Maori electorate or for a general electorate, depending on the choice you made when you enrolled or at the last Maori Electoral Option. You cannot change your choice until the next Maori Electoral Option due in 2012.
Residential electoral roll
All parliamentary electors are automatically enrolled on the local authority residential electoral roll at the address where they live. If you wish to change your details on the resident roll (address details, postal details etc) visit the elections website www.elections.org.nz and enrol or update your details online.
Non-resident ratepayer roll
If a person is on the parliamentary roll in one area and pays rates on a property in another area, they may be eligible to be enrolled on the non-resident ratepayer roll.
A firm, company, corporation or society paying rates on a property may nominate one of its members or officers as a ratepayer elector (providing the nominated person resides outside of the area).
Help others to enrol
Right now thousands of people will be unable to vote in the upcoming local elections. They may have moved house, turned 18 or not registered to vote yet - these people will not be sent their voting papers in the mail.
We need your help to make sure as many people as possible can have their say.
Electoral system
Waikato District Council and Environment Waikato use the First Past the Post electoral system. The Waikato District Health Board and Counties Manukau District Health Board use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) electoral system.
For more information visit www.elections.org.nz
Te Kauwhata Licensing Trust
The Waikato District Council is carrying out the election for the Te Kauwhata Licensing Trust as part of the 2010 Local Body Elections.
Candidate information and a ward map are included with the corresponding Local Body Election categories on this page.