Voting in this local election

On this page you will find information relating to how to vote, the Single Transferable Voting system and the candidates standing in the local body elections in 2022.

Voting in the local body elections is by postal vote. From 16 September 2022 voting packs will be sent out to households.

All you need to do is:

rank your preferred candidates for the Far North District Council (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.)
and ✔ your preferred candidate for the Northland Regional Council
put your voting paper in the Freepost envelope provided and post it at your nearest postbox
or if rural post, pop it in your mailbox and put your flag up
to reach us in time, post it no later than Tuesday 4 October.

Each service centre will have an orange ballot box available until Friday 7 October 2022 close of business. You can pop your completed voting papers (in the envelope of course) into one of these orange boxes. On Saturday 8 October these ballot boxes will only be available at our Kaitāia, Kaikohe and Kerikeri service centres (until midday).

We will also be out and about with a mobile ballot box. Van locations, dates, and times will be available on these webpages when the itinerary is confirmed.

If you are not enrolled (or not enrolled correctly) on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, you will need to:

pick an enrolment form at any New Zealand Post Shop
or enrol online at www.vote.nz
or call 0800 36 76 56
or send your name and address to Freetext 3676.

Your enrolment form needs to be with the Registrar of Electors before close of business Friday 7 October 2022. You will then need to cast a special vote.

Special votes

If you have not received your voting papers and know that you are enrolled, you can cast a special vote.

Up until Friday 30 September you can call 0800 922 822 to be issued a special voting pack.

After Monday 3 October, you can go to Kaitāia, Kaikohe or Kerikeri service centres to cast your special vote.

You will be required to complete, sign and have a witnessed special declaration in order to cast your vote. A witness can be anyone over the age of 18. If you do not have a witness, you will be required to present current photo ID to the electoral official in order for them to witness your declaration.

If you are not enrolled (or not enrolled correctly) on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll, you will need to:

pick an enrolment form at any New Zealand Post Shop
·or enrol online at www.vote.nz
·or call 0800 36 76 56
·or send your name and address to Freetext 3676.

Your enrolment form needs to be with the Registrar of Electors before close of business Friday 7 October 2022. You will then need to cast a special vote.

Find your ward or community board subdivision

In the Far North we've switched to Single Transferable Vote (STV).

Single Transferable Voting is a proportional system. When voting using STV, instead of ticking the candidate you want, you rank candidates in order of preference – “1” beside your most preferred candidate, “2” beside the second-most preferred, and so on. You can just rank your preferred candidate or as many candidates as you like.

To be elected, a candidate must get a certain number of votes. This is known as the ‘quota’ and is worked out after voting has closed. The quota is calculated by dividing the total number of votes received by the number of vacancies, plus one.

To be elected, a candidate must get enough votes to reach the quota. If there is more than one vacancy, votes received over the quota are partially transferred to other candidates in order of voter preference. Those with fewest votes are eliminated and their votes are partially transferred to other candidates. This process repeats until enough candidates reach the quota and all vacancies are filled.

Which councils in New Zealand use STV?

In the 2019 local government elections, 11 out of 78 local authorities used STV: Dunedin City Council, Kaipara District Council, Kapiti Coast District Council, Marlborough District Council, New Plymouth District Council (1st time), Porirua City Council, Ruapehu District Council (1st time), Tauranga City Council (1st time), Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Palmerston North City Council.

How do I vote under STV?

In an STV election, you have one vote and rank the candidates in order of preference. You give a 1 to your favourite candidate, 2 to your second favourite and so on. You can rank as many candidates as you like – you don’t need to rank them all. By ranking the candidates, parts of your vote may be shared between the candidates you support according to your preferences. If the candidate you most want to win gets more votes than they need to be elected, because a lot of other people voted for them too, part of your vote may be transferred to your next choice. The same thing happens if your top choice is really unpopular and doesn’t get enough votes to be elected – your vote for them will be transferred to your next preference until all positions are filled.

How are votes counted under STV?

The votes are counted in stages. All first preference votes are counted first. To be elected, candidates must reach what’s called the quota – a number based on the total number of valid votes and the number of vacant positions. When a candidate reaches the quota and is elected, a portion of the surplus votes go to their voters’ second choices. If no other candidates reach the quota and there are positions still to be filled, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their votes are transferred according to voters’ second choices. These steps are repeated until all of the positions are filled. If voters didn’t give any second or subsequent preferences, those votes cannot be transferred and the quota is recalculated to exclude the non-transferable votes.

All of the vote counting is done by computer using specialist software. The Department of Internal Affairs developed the programme (called the STV calculator). It has been independently audited and certified, as required by law.

What are the advantages of STV?

Under STV, the election results are more likely to reflect the preferences of a greater number of voters. Because voters’ second, third, and other preferences are taken into account, the results are a more accurate indication of the total support each candidate has. As STV maximises the number of votes that help to elect candidates, there is also a higher probability of more voters being represented by someone they voted for.

Is the same process used to count the mayoral votes as the one used for councillors?

Yes, it’s the same process. The quota the winning mayoral candidate needs to reach is an absolute majority – more than 50% of the votes.

How is the quota calculated under STV?

In an STV election, the quota is the number of votes a candidate needs to get elected. It is calculated from the total number of valid votes cast and the number of vacant positions. In the case of mayoral elections, the quota is an absolute majority (more than 50%).

Do voters have to rank everyone?

No. You can rank as many or as few candidates as you wish, so your vote is still valid even if you only rank some candidates.

Mayor (1)

Councillors (10)

Te Hiku General Ward (2)
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward (3)
Kaikohe-Hokianga General Ward (1)
Ngā Tai o Tokerau Ward (4)

Community Board Members (19)

Te Hiku Community Board (6)
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (7)
Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (6)

Nominations period: Friday 15 July - Friday 12 August (midday)
Voting period: Friday 16 September - Saturday 8 October (midday)
Results from Friday 14 October

We've switched to Single Transferable Vote (STV) from a First Past the Post (FPP) voting system.
We’re increasing the number of councillors from nine to ten as part of our Representation Review.
We're introducing one district-wide Māori ward in this election.

Far North candidates standing in 2022

Use the drop down menu below to see a full list of Far North candidates in the local body elections in 2022.

Candidates standing in the local elections have the option to make their contact details available to the public. You can find that contact list here.

Mayor

General wards

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward

Kaikohe-Hokianga General Ward

Te Hiku General Ward

Māori ward

Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Boards

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Kawakawa-Moerewa Subdivision)

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Kerikeri Subdivision)

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Paihia Subdivision)

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Russell-Ōpua Subdivision)

Jane Hindle - (elected unopposed)

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Waipapa Subdivision)

Tyler Bamber - (elected unopposed)

Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (Whangaroa Subdivision)

Bruce Mills - (elected unopposed)

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Boards

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (Kaikohe Subdivision)

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (North Hokianga Subdivision)

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (South Hokianga Subdivision)

Te Hiku Community Boards

Te Hiku Community Board (Doubtless Bay Subdivision)

Te Hiku Community Board (Kaitāia Subdivision)

Te Hiku Community Board (North Cape Subdivision)

Te Hiku Community Board (Whatuwhiwhi Subdivision)

More information about our candidates can be found at Policy.nz – Local Elections 2022

Do you have further questions about STV? Find out more here - Single Transferable Vote (stv.govt.nz)