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At the 2019 local elections, 235 people won seats unopposed. Image: Tina Tiller
At the 2019 local elections, 235 people won seats unopposed. Image: Tina Tiller

Local Elections 2022August 10, 2022

Uncontested: Not enough people are standing in local elections

At the 2019 local elections, 235 people won seats unopposed. Image: Tina Tiller
At the 2019 local elections, 235 people won seats unopposed. Image: Tina Tiller

New Zealand’s local body elections aren’t just afflicted by low voter turnout – there’s a low turnout of people standing as candidates too.

Local elections are a glorious gala of democracy: hundreds of elections taking place around the country. A shockingly high number of those, however, aren’t really elections at all. They’re races with a field of one. Unloseable. Across 572 elections three years ago, 101 were uncontested. That saw 235 candidates elected unopposed. The overall number of nominations relative to total available seats was the lowest on record. This time around, it could be worse still. 

The local government association, LGNZ, has issued a late push for people to throw their names in the sparsely filled hats, ahead of nominations closing at noon on Friday. 

“Many of our councils face the prospect of uncontested appointments, especially those outside of the big cities,” said Stuart Crosby, LGNZ president. The paucity of candidates was particularly pronounced in the South Island. Crosby pointed to the “sobering” example of the Mackenzie District Council, which to date has three nominations for a total of 19 vacancies.

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Other councils where vacancies outnumbered candidates with a few days before nominations closed included the Otago Regional Council, Environment Southland, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Central Otago District Council, Nelson City Council, the Pōneke/Wellington constituency of the Wellington Regional Council, Rangitikei, South Waikato and Rotorua Lakes Council. The weekend came to an end with precisely zero candidates for the Timaru district mayoralty, but on Monday the incumbent Nigel Bowen entered the race – so far alone. 

While there are hopes of a late surge in nominations, the last local body elections suggest there is a low turnout not just in voting, but in standing, too. As Ollie Neas observed in his Policy Local summary of 2019, there were one-candidate races for the mayoralties of Whangānui, Gore, Rangitīkei and Clutha. (In an effort to give him some kind of test, The Spinoff debated unopposed Whangānui mayoral hopeful Hamish McDouall.) Two sitting Auckland councillors gained their spots without facing a challenger. Across Southland District, 36 people won seats unchallenged, with two community board elections attracting no candidates at all. 

Remarkably, the number of uncontested seats has tracked downwards over the last three elections but it is nevertheless “a real problem”, said Julienne Molineaux, a local elections expert and senior lecturer at AUT. In a scenario where, for example, six candidates stood for six seats and were accordingly automatically confirmed there would be no election at all and “they are not put under any scrutiny by the electorate”, she said. “The public does not have the opportunity to reject anyone, and, on the flipside, the winning candidates lack the legitimacy that comes from being voted into power by the public.”

A lack of candidates for the most senior positions could diminish interest in the elections more broadly, said Molineaux. She pointed to the example of Tony Kokshoorn, mayor of Grey District from 2004 to 2019. Well-regarded locally and nationally, he was elected unopposed in four elections. In 2013 and 2016, the turnout was under 39%. In 2019, four people stood for the role he was vacating, and the turnout leapt to over 63%. “If you have an exciting mayoral competition then people will vote, and most will vote down-ballot as well,” she said.

The lack of names in the hat is an important factor in the striking lack of broad representation in local body politics. The average age of elected members in 2019 was between 56 and 60. Only 14% of members were under the age of 40 – and that was a surge from 7% in 2016. About three times as many people 71 and older (12%) were elected as people 30 or younger (4%). 

Local body representatives under 40

Source: LGNZ

Women accounted for just over 40% of those elected, with numbers tending to be higher in urban areas. Successful candidates who identified as Māori were 13.5% of the total, up from 10% in 2016.

 “It’s important that our council tables reflect the communities they represent,” said Lan Pham, co-chair of the LGNZ Young Elected Members Committee co-chair. Issuing an “SOS for local democracy”, she said she was “particularly concerned at the lack of nominations for councillors and community board members” and emphasised her own experience in 2016. “As a young female, I wasn’t sure if local government was the right environment for me, but my family and peers convinced me that I needed to give it a go. In the last two terms, I’ve been able to influence a number of decisions that have truly made Canterbury a better place for the next generation,” she said in a statement. 

Proportion of elected women members

Source: LGNZ

That was echoed by Bonita Bigham, chair of Te Maruata Roopu Whakahaere, the LGNZ group focused on Māori in in local government. “It is concerning that we are seeing such low numbers of nominations for community boards,” she said. A community board member’s workload was not as great as a councillor or mayor, but was “an equally important job” carrying considerable influence. The call for more Māori candidates is greater than ever with 32 Māori wards across Aotearoa.

Proportion of Māori elected members 

Source: LGNZ

Why were people not putting their hands up in bigger numbers? Disincentives identified included the time demanded, the pay and “ugly rhetoric directed at elected officials” said Crosby. He welcomed the recent change that scrapped the requirement for candidates to publicly list their home address, which “goes some way towards keeping candidates safe”. 

A broader drop in willing candidates was likely linked to the drop in turnout, said Molineaux. On both counts, a diminution in local media coverage was part of the problem. “No one is going to my local board meetings and covering them any more, which they used to … Facebook has in some ways replaced that, with local information from your community. But no one from Facebook is turning up to the local board meeting. No one is casting an informed view … So people may just know these opportunities are there.”

The thin fields for local elections have been seized upon by Voices for Freedom, the anti-vaccine, anti-mandate, anti-mask group that was instrumental in the parliamentary grounds occupation and had 101 complaints against it upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority for releasing “misleading and socially irresponsible information about the Covid-19 pandemic”. 

The lack of attention on local government elections, said one VFF organiser in a webinar for potential candidates, means “we can really sway the results, throw our weight around”. A mailout to supporters on Monday night devoted to the elections urged people to stand for community boards, which are “the most straightforward to get into as there are a large number of positions available and low levels of interest from the general public”.

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It’s democracy, baby!

Local Elections 2022August 10, 2022

Everything you need to know about voting in the 2022 local elections

person gesturing to a cartoon 'local elections 2022' sign
It’s democracy, baby!

Local elections are nearly upon us. Shanti Mathias has a guide to everything you need to know about what local elections influence and how they work. 

What’s all this then? 

Across New Zealand, it’s time for the triennial tradition of voting for representatives on city, district and regional councils, as well as community boards. Candidates are coming out of the woodwork and campaigning for votes. Expect to hear a lot more about the different races in the months to come.

What local government election will I be voting in?

Actually, you’re probably voting in more than one election. There are 78 local government authorities in New Zealand: 12 city councils, 11 regional councils, 54 district councils and one Auckland council, which was created when eight councils merged to create the super city in 2010. The mayor of a city or area is elected by all the people within that area; elections are otherwise separated into location-based wards, with candidates standing to be the designated councillors for that area. 

There are also Local Boards (Auckland) and Community Boards (everywhere else), which sit beneath councils and carry out decisions delegated to them by councils. Local boards support their local community, such as running events, executing strategic plans and listening to the concerns of local groups, rather than considering the needs of an entire council area, which is the job of councillors. 

Some areas also have licensing trusts, which are community-owned businesses who can make decisions about where alcohol is available in their communities through the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. If you live in one of these areas, you’ll be voting for community representatives on the licensing trusts. Energy trusts, which manage electricity distribution in some areas, work similarly; if you live in these areas, you’ll also be voting for energy trust representatives. Profits from both these kinds of businesses go back into the community.

These are the authorities which make decisions and control funding for swimming pools and libraries, roads and parking, public transport and public events, city planning and streetlights, playgrounds and waste removal, and lots more – basically a lot of the details that affect what services are available in your community and how they are managed. Previously, local government elections have also included electing representatives for your area’s DHB; due to the creation of Health New Zealand, which dissolved the DHB system, this is no longer the case.

Swimming pools are one of the many public utilities for which councils are responsible.

That sounds important – should I vote? 

You should definitely vote! Even though local governments make decisions about a lot of the infrastructure and utilities that you use in your day-to-day life, turnout is appallingly low – under 50% of eligible voters cast local election ballots at the last election in 2019.

Who gets to vote?

Any New Zealand citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18 is eligible to vote for the local bodies that represent the area where they live. If you live somewhere and pay rates on a property you own in another local area, you may be eligible to vote in both places. If you’re currently on the Māori electoral roll and your voting area has a Māori ward, then you’ll receive voting papers for the Māori ward. 

To find out which elections you are eligible to vote in, type your address in here (note that this information is for the 2019 election, which means that DHB elections are still included, and some local ward boundaries will have changed; there will also be information on your local council website).

How do I cast my vote – do I have to go to a polling booth?

All local government elections are conducted through postal votes. If you’ve received enrolment papers in the mail in July, confirming that you still live at the address where you’re registered on the electoral roll, you should be good to go – your voting pack, including the form you fill out and a pamphlet with information about the candidates you’re voting for, will arrive in your letterbox in September. You must fill out the voting papers and send them in the post to arrive by midday Friday, October 8, for your vote to be counted. (They’ll come with an envelope – it’s all free!)

If you haven’t received enrolment papers in the post – perhaps you’ve moved in the last few years, or haven’t enrolled to vote before – you can check or update your details at vote.nz, or by calling 0800 367656, or by filling out and mailing an enrolment form. Do this by Friday, August 12 to cast a standard vote. If the deadline has passed, don’t despair – you can still exercise your democratic right by casting a special vote. 

This seems like a system set up to advantage people who don’t live in precarious rental housing.

Yes. 

Receiving an enrolment pack means that you’re set to vote in the upcoming local elections (Image: Archi Banal)

Who will I be voting for?

Nominations for candidates also close on August 12, so the full list isn’t available yet.  However, many high-profile races, like the mayoralty of big cities, have had multiple candidates confirm that they’re running. When you receive your voting papers in the mail, you will get a pamphlet with every candidate’s name and a blurb about who they are to inform your decision. 

One thing to note in this year’s local elections that is different from the past is that you won’t be voting for DHB representatives, as the DHB system has been folded into Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority

Who should I vote for? 

That’s up to you. However, if you want to know what candidates stand for, The Spinoff’s elections tool Policy.nz is coming back! Policy.nz will allow you to compare candidates’ positions on different issues to help you make your choice – the up-to-date 2022 version will be available from late August.

How are my votes calculated? Do my votes count? 

It depends where you live! Local elections tally votes differently to the MMP system used in national elections. Different places use different systems: most elections are First Past the Post (FPP), which means that the candidates with the most votes will be your area’s representatives. Some elections in New Zealand – all listed here – use a Single Transferable Vote (STV) voting, which means that you rank candidates so your preferences impact the result even if your favourite candidate isn’t elected (explained comprehensively here). You can get more information about how voting in your area works at your local council’s website. 

Is there a handy place where all this information is located? 

Unfortunately, no. There’s some information on the vote.nz website about voting generally. The Local Government New Zealand website has information about the structure and role of local governments around New Zealand, including maps of council areas through the country. There are details about local elections specifically at votelocal.nz. There will also be information available on your council’s website

The Spinoff will have lots of local election coverage over the coming months, as well as hosting the Policy.nz tool. Make sure to keep checking here for the latest coverage from around the country.

But wait there's more!