Enrol to vote - me whakauru, kia pōti

Do you care about how our towns grow and what features they have? How do we safely get around the Western Bay? Then make 2022 a year of empowerment and enrol to vote.

October sees the next round of local government elections taking place across the motu and to ensure your voice counts on who should lead the Western Bay for the next three years, you must be enrolled to vote.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s Customer Service and Governance Manager, Barbara Whitton says, “Enrolling is simple, you can do it online in less than five minutes. Don’t wait, jump online at vote.nz and get it sorted.”

Come voting time postal votes will be mailed out to enrolled voters, and they’ll be asked to choose who they want to represent their area, their community, and their values.

Barb says, “Enrolling to vote is one of the most powerful things you can do.

“You don’t have to be a ratepayer to vote. If you live here, you may be eligible to vote.”

The voter turnout for the last election in 2019 for the Western Bay of Plenty was just 39.1 percent, below the national average of 41.7 percent.

Barb says, “This year, we want to buck the trend and get more of our community voting. It starts now with enrolment.

“Even if you’re already enrolled, you can jump online and check your enrolment details to ensure your voting papers reach you. It’s easy, there’s no log-in required, just your name and address.

“If you need a little help just visit one of our libraries or service centres and our team can give you a hand.”

Visit the Electoral Commission’s website to enrol, or check your enrolment details vote.nz/enrol

There are over 42,000 eligible voters registered in the Western Bay and 39,000 or so are registered to vote, with fewer still actually voting.

Our District uses the ‘First Past the Post’ (FPP) voting system to determine its elected members, this includes the Mayor, 11 Councillors, and five Community Boards. In this system, the candidate with the most votes wins.

The District is split into three geographic areas called wards – Te Puke-Maketū, Kaimai, and Katikati-Waihī Beach. Three or four Councillor positions are assigned to each ward to ensure all of the District’s areas are represented equitably.

To be eligible to enrol, you must be 18 years or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, who lives in New Zealand and has lived in New Zealand for a year continuously at any time. If you’re Australian, Niuean, Tokelauan, or a Cook Islander, you can enrol after you have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more.