Slow start for nominations

Electoral officers across the three South Canterbury districts are reporting a slow start to nominations for the 2022 local body elections, with just seven nominations across the region.

Timaru District electoral officer Mark Low said there will be fewer nominations overall this election due to no District Health Board elections being held this time.

Low said there had been a very slow start to nominations, with just three received since nominations opened on July 15.

‘‘Interest does seem lower overall,’’ he said.

However, he said he expected the number of nominations to increase over the coming weeks before they close at midday on August 12.

‘‘I would encourage candidates to get their nominations in early to enable us to check the nominations are correct.’’

Waimate District electoral officer Warwick Lampp said nominations there had also been slow with just two so far, and he echoed Low’s plea for people to get them in sooner rather than later.

‘‘Nominations usually pick up in the last two weeks,’’ Lampp said.

Mackenzie District electoral officer Anthony Morton said most candidates tend to leave lodging their nominations until the last 10 days of the nomination period, so the low numbers of nominations for both Mackenzie District Council and the South Canterbury/ Ō tuhituhi constituency for Environment Canterbury are not unexpected. Each council has just one candidate nominated to date.

In the Timaru District, Gavin Peter Oliver has been nominated for councillor of Geraldine ward, Scott Shannon has been nominated for councillor of Pleasant Point– Temuka ward and the Temuka Community Board and Troy Titheridge has been nominated for the Timaru ward.

Colin Pankhurst has been nominated for Waimate District’s Hakataramea-Waihaorunga ward and John Begg has been nominated for the Waimate ward.

In the Mackenzie District, Matt Murphy has been nominated for the Tekapo ward.

Peter Scott has been nominated for Environment Canterbury South Canterbury/Ō tuhituhi Regional Constituency.