Call goes out to would-be voters
The Electoral Commission is encouraging Tauranga City Council voters to check they are enrolled for the council election on July 20.
The election will vote in the council’s first elected representatives since 2019 after the turbulent former council was discharged of its duties in 2020 and four commissioners were appointed to replace it in 2021.
An extension to the commission’s term meant Tauranga did not take part in the 2022 triennial local body election. It will also skip the 2025 election, meaning the mayor and councillors elected in July would serve a four-year-term until 2028, a first for New Zealand.
Electoral Commission deputy chief executive operations Anusha Guler said more than 110,000 people were enrolled to vote.
This is 89 per cent of pool of eligible voters.
Voters will be electing councillors from eight general wards and one Ma¯ ori ward, as well as a mayor.
“If you’re Ma¯ ori, you can choose to be on the Ma¯ ori electoral roll or general electoral roll for the city council election.
“Voters on the Ma¯ ori roll will vote for a candidate in the new Ma¯ ori ward, and voters on the general roll will vote for candidates in the general wards,” Guler said.
Following a recent law change, voters of Ma¯ ori descent could change the roll they were on at any time except in the three months before a general election, the local elections, or a parliamentary byelection.
The commission would write to enrolled voters of Ma¯ ori descent to tell them if they would like to switch electoral rolls before the council election, they need to do so by midnight April 19.
● People can enrol, check or update their enrolment details at vote.nz or call 0800 36 76 56 for more information.