2022 Local Government Elections

What is a Māori ward?

Māori wards provide a way for Māori to contribute to decision-making and have representation at council. Porirua City Council’s Māori ward will represent Māori in our community so that our decision-making is fairer and more inclusive. The establishment of a Māori wards guarantees that Māori will have an opportunity to select their representative on Council.

Electors enrolled on the Māori electoral roll will vote for candidates standing for the Māori wards. Similarly, electors enrolled on the general electoral roll will vote for candidates standing for general wards.

The successful Māori ward candidate will become a councillor. Councillors have a responsibility to represent their communities. The Māori ward Councillor will have a particular responsibility to represent people of Māori descent and bring forward Māori views and aspirations. However, they also represent the entire City as a Councillor.

“Wards” are the parts of a council area that have been determined by population and communities of interest. These can be either general wards or Māori wards.

Council resolution to establish a Māori ward

Councils are required to provide opportunities for Māori to contribute to the decision-making processes under the Local Government Act 2002. Establishing a Māori ward is one way for our Council to achieve this.

The establishment of Porirua City Council’s Māori ward was initiated by a resolution Council passed that the City establish one Māori ward (Local Electoral Act 2001, section 19Z).

How the law on Māori wards and constituencies changed in 2021

Until 2021, the legislation allowed a council resolution establishing Māori wards/constituencies to be overturned by a poll. The process was that a petition signed by 5% of the electors ofthe city could demand a poll on whether a Council’s decision to establish one or more Māori wards/ should be reversed.

The Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021 repealed the poll provisions by:

• extending the deadline for local authorities to resolve to establish one or more Māori wards or constituencies to 21 May 2021 (rather those resolutions being required to have been made by 23 November 2020). This was a ‘one-off’ provision. This provided local authorities with a fresh opportunity to make decisions on Māori wards/constituencies for the 2022 local elections
• removing the ability for electors to bring a petition requiring a poll on the introduction of Māori wards/constituencies. Therefore, the only way Māori wards/ constituencies will not be established in those areas is if the council itself resolves to undo its decision
• removing the ability for Councils to resolve to hold binding polls on whether to establish Māori wards (although non-binding polls may continue to be conducted)
• providing that past polls, or council resolutions to hold binding polls, on whether to establish Māori wards/constituencies cease to have any effect.

Porirua City Council resolved to establish a Māori ward in May 2021.

Representation review

Following our Council resolution to establish a Māori ward we consulted with our community to help decide on what was fair and effective number of elected members to have, how they were elected, and whether they were elected from wards or “at large” across the whole city, or by a mix of both. We also looked at the boundaries, names of wards and communities of interest.

Following the feedback, we looked at the options against the requirements of the Local Electoral Act 2001, the general electoral population; the Māori electoral population; the total number of elected members allowed under legislation; and the proportion to be elected from a Māori ward.

We considered:

• The number of councillors we should have
• How councillors are elected – by ward or city
• How many people are represented by each councillor
• Whether our communities would be fairly and effectively represented
• How many wards we should have and the names of those wards
• How a Māori ward would be established and structured
• Whether any changes to wards or ward boundaries were needed

The Representation Arrangements for Porirua City Council

After considering all the different options, Porirua City Council resolved to have the following representation arrangements.

1 Mayor elected City-wide

10 Councillors in total

5 general ward councillors elected from the Onepoto General Ward

4 general ward councillors elected from the Pāuatahanui General Ward

1 Māori ward Councillor elected from the Parirua Māori Ward

Appeals to Council’s Representation Review

The Local Government Commission hears all appeals to Representation Review decisions. Porirua City Council recieved an appeal to the above decision. The Commission will release its determination by 10 April 2022.

Standing for a Māori ward

Eligibility criteria and nominees

To be eligible to stand for a Māori ward, a candidate must be a New Zealand citizen and their name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll anywhere in New Zealand. They do not need to reside in the area (city, district, ward, constituency) that they are standing for.

They will need to be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the Māori electoral roll within the area of election for which the candidate is standing.

Equally if a candidate is on the Māori electoral roll they can stand in a general ward, and will need to be nominated by two electors whose names appear on the general electoral roll within the area of election for which they are standing.

Other requirements are that:

• The candidate or their spouse/partner must not have concerns or interests in contracts over $25,000 with the Council.
• If the candidate is subject to a Court Order under section 31 of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988, they should take legal advice.
• If the candidate is an employee of the Council, they must resign before taking up their position as an elected member. The rules of some councils may require them to take leave for campaigning prior to the election.

There are not any formal qualifications required to become a candidate in the local elections. Elected members come from all walks of life and generally have a desire to serve their community.

Some skills that will help candidates run for election and be a successful councillor

Two skills that will assist candidates with their campaign are being able to publicly present their own opinions confidently, and being able to listen to the views of the people that they will be representing.

The following capabilities are useful in the elected member role, either some or all of them:

• quality decision-making
• political acumen
• leadership
• cultural awareness
• strategic thinking
• knowledge and understanding of Porirua City Council and local government
• communication and engagement
• relationship building and collaboration

Affiliations

The nomination paper provides a space for a candidate to put an affiliation. An affiliation is described in section 57(3) Local Electoral Act 2001 as “an endorsement by any organisation or group (whether incorporated or unincorporated)”.

Candidates who are not part of a political party or group sometimes identify their affiliation as “Independent” or leave as blank (if left blank, nothing will show alongside the name of the candidate on the voting document).

A candidate requiring a specific party affiliation should have authority to adopt the affiliation from the party, organisation or group concerned (i.e. the electoral officer may require a letter of consent from the party, organisation or group giving its consent for the candidate to use the affiliation). This is a safety measure to avoid any illegal adoption of party, group or organisation affiliations.

If candidates wish to list whānau, hapū or iwi details as an affiliation, an endorsement or confirmation letter from a Marae, Whānau Trust, Iwi Authority, or other Māori organisation would be required. It is acknowledged whakapapa is a birth right and situations may occur where candidates may not feel they need to provide proof, in which case whakapapa can be highlighted in the context of the candidate profile statement and other forums and activities.

Situations may arise where the same affiliation is given by two or more candidates, or a candidate provides multiple affiliations. If a candidate provides multiple affiliations, an electoral officer may require multiple endorsement or confirmation letters.

Note that there are length limits to a candidate’s affiliation. The voting document and candidate booklet allow 38 characters before the affiliation truncates.

No affiliation that might cause offence to a reasonable person, or is likely to confuse or mislead electors, will be accepted by the electoral officer.

Candidate profile statement

Candidates may provide the electoral officer with a candidate profile statement with their nomination. This is a statement of up to 150 words containing information about themselves and their policies and intentions if elected to office. The profile may include a recent passport size photograph. The candidate profile statement must be true and accurate. The electoral officer is not required to verify or investigate any information included in this statement and it will be included with the voting document sent to each elector.

If candidates choose not to supply a profile statement or photograph, then a message will appear in the profile booklet that a statement/photograph was not supplied by the candidate.

If a candidate profile statement is submitted in Māori and English, the information contained in each language must be substantially consistent with the information contained in the other language. Therefore, in the case where a candidate includes a mihi or greeting as part of a candidate profile statement provided in Māori, the mihi or greeting should be explained in the English version in a manner substantially consistent with the Māori version - still within the 150-word limit.

If a candidate is standing for more than one position, they are allowed a candidate profile statement for each position.

In addition, the candidate profile statement –

• must state whether or not the candidate’s principal place of residence, being the address in respect of which the candidate is registered as a parliamentary elector, is in the local government area for which the candidate seeks election (for example, either “My principal place of residence is in the Onepoto General Ward” or “My principal place of residence is not in the Onepoto General Ward”); and
• if the candidate is seeking election to any other positions in elections to which the Local Electoral Act 2001 applies, must specify each position and state that the candidate is seeking to be elected to the positions.

These statements are not counted as part of the 150-word limit.

How much does it cost to lodge a nomination?

It costs $200 including GST to lodge a nomination for each position standing. The funds must be deposited to the electoral officer by close of nominations (midday 12 August 2022).

When are nominations open?

Nominations open on Friday 15 July and close on Friday 12 August 2022 at midday. Nominations must be lodged with the electoral officer at council you are standing for.

Do not leave lodgement until the last day because if there are any problems with the details provided there might be insufficient time to resolve them and you could miss out.

Voting in a Māori ward

An elector must be on the Māori electoral roll to vote for a candidate standing in a Māori ward.

Voting documents will look different

Voting documents will be different than previous local elections for those on the Māori electoral roll. They will be able to vote for the mayor, candidates standing in their Māori ward. They will not be able to vote for candidates standing in general wards.

Who can be on the Māori electoral roll?

Only New Zealand Māori and the descendants of New Zealand Māori can choose to be on the Māori electoral roll. For those who are enrolling for the first time, they can choose if they want to be on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll.

How to enrol for the first time

You can enrol to vote online at vote.nz.

The identity verification needed is a New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity.

If people are not able to enrol online, they can enrol or update their details in other ways, more information can be found here https://vote.nz/enrolling/enrol-or-update/other-ways-to-enrol/ on the Electoral Commission website or they can call 0800 36 76 56 to arrange for forms to be sent to them directly, or you can free text your name and address to 3676.

How to change rolls

Those who are already enrolled, either on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll, may want to change electoral rolls before the local elections in October 2022. Unfortunately, the law only allows voters to change which roll they are on every five to six years as part of the Māori Electoral Option.. The next Māori Electoral Option is in 2024.

However, the Government has recently consulted with the public about changing the timing and frequency of Māori Electoral Option and may make legislative changes in 2023. Regardless, any changes will be too late to affect the process before October 2022.

Voting by mail

Electors who are enrolled on the Māori electoral roll or the general electoral roll by Friday 12 August 2022 will receive their voting document in the mail. People can still enrol after this date but they will need to cast a special vote.

The local elections are postal elections. Voting documents will be delivered between Friday 16 and Wednesday 21 September 2022 and include a free return envelope. It is recommended votes be posted back to a NZ Post box by Tuesday 4 October 2022 to ensure we get them before the close of voting.

After 4 October 2022, votes are able to be returned to any of our Council’s secure ballot boxes which we will have set up in Council facilities and in the community. More information about this will be on our website closer to the election. The close of voting is Saturday midday 8 October 2022.

More Information

If you have more questions, there is more information on our website https://poriruacity.govt.nz/your-council/mayor-councillors/elections/2022-local-government-elections/ ;

Or contact our Electoral Officer on 0800 922 822 (Email: info@electionservices.co.nz) or our Deputy Electoral Officer, Lynlee Baily, on 04 237-5089.

• If you wish to obtain a hard copy of the 2019 marked roll (this shows if a person has voted or not) this can be purchased through the Democratic Services at Porirua City Council at any time for $75.00. Please email elections2022@poriruacity.govt.nzfor more information.
• The Electoral Commission does not permit Electoral Officers (or councils) to provide any person with an electronic copy of the electoral roll – marked (shows who has voted) or unmarked.
• You can apply to the Electoral Commission for a copy of the elector data in electronic form. The Commission will not provide you with a marked roll either electronically or in hard copy form, as this information is generated from the roll scrutiny process Council’s service provider undertakes. If you require a copy of the elector data an application form is required to be completed. These are available upon request from the Electoral Commission (data@elections.govt.nz).

Electoral Roles and Data During the 2022 Local Government Election

• The preliminary roll will be publicly available in hard copy format from the Electoral Officer on 15 of July 2022 and the final roll, also in hard copy format, on 16 September 2022. These can be purchased through Democratic Services for $75 per copy. Alternatively you can apply to the Electoral Commission for elector data from those dates.
• During the voting period you can apply to the Electoral Officer for an electronic list of people who have voted. As there is huge demand for this information the Electoral Officer has asked that you stipulate in your request the days and wards that you want this information for. As the legislation requires that a request for this information can only be made before voting closes, we suggest you include the final day of voting as part of your request. Including the final day will give you useful information for the next election.

Election signs are referenced in the Local Electoral Act 2001 and Council’s election signs policy – which must be complied with.

Local Electoral Act 2001

All election material, including signs and hoardings, must show an authorisation statement (name and physical address of the candidate or the candidate’s agent). Not to do so is an electoral offence. Refer section 113 Local Electoral Act 2001.

Council’s election signs policy

Permits

You can apply for a permit to place election signs on public sites listed in the Signs Bylaw 2020, completing the form, or by emailing the following info to us:

• Candidate Name:
• Address:
• Contact number for candidate:
• Email address:
• Name and contact number of any nominated contact person (if applicable):
• Number of signs required:
• Sign dimensions:
• Construction details:
• Method of erection and/or display:
• Additional info:
• Attached Photo, copy or sketch of the sign which shows the exact wording:
• Approved site required:

Note: a permit is not required for signs placed on private land, but we can help check if your sign complies with our Bylaw (including that it is more than 50 m away from any intersection).

For standard sized signs no fee is payable. Where a building or resource management consent has to be obtained, a fee may be incurred.

Size

The maximum permitted face surface area of any sign is 3 m2. (approximately1700 mm x 1700 mm).

The maximum height of any free-standing sign is 1.8 m above ground level.

Placement

Signs can only be installed on Council approved public sites.

Signs advertising a candidate standing for election to a ward position may be displayed within the boundaries of that ward only in approved locations, including private property.

Signs advertising a candidate who is standing for a position other than a ward position (i.e., candidate for mayoralty, Wellington Regional Council etc.) may be displayed throughout the city in approved locations, including private property.

Only one single-faced sign per candidate is permitted at any approved public site (no ‘V’ signs).

A person must not display any signage on or connected to a vehicle (vehicle includes any car, truck, bus, van, tractor, trailer, bicycle, motorcycle and any other device similar in appearance or description to those vehicles) that is parked on a road or a public place, if the FAQs – Porirua City Council elections, 8 October 2022 principal function of the vehicle is to display advertising.

Additional restrictions apply to the display of signs on or facing any state highway. In these cases additional approval from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency may be required.

Time

The maximum period of time during which a sign, poster or placard may be displayed is nine weeks leading up to the date of the election i.e. from 12.00 am, Saturday 6 August 2022. The removal of all signs, posters and placards is by 12.00 midnight on the day immediately preceding election day (7 October 2022). Further information

Further information relating to Council's signs Bylaw

A list of approved sights can be found here

Signs on Waka Kotahi land

If you wish to place signs on Waka Kotahi land, you must comply with NZTA bylaws, specifically the New Zealand Transport Agency (Signs on State Highways) Bylaw 2010. This Bylaw states that signs must comply with the following:

All signs proposed to be placed on Waka Kotahi land must be approved by Waka Kotahi. Consent can be obtained via emailing: EnvironmentalPlanning@nzta.govt.nz

Note: this Bylaw does not cover signs placed on private land, alongside state highways. These are covered by the Porirua City Council District Plan, and Signs Bylaw detailed above.

If the criteria below apply to you then you may qualify to vote more than once at the local authority elections on 8 October 2022, using our easy-to-complete enrolment form. 

• If you live and vote in one council district, but also pay rates on a property in another district, you may be eligible to enrol as a non-resident ratepayer elector in that other council district.
  
• If your council district has community or local boards established, and you are a residential elector in one community or local board and pay rates on a property in another community or local board area, you may be eligible to enrol as a ratepayer elector in that other community or local board area.
  
• A firm, company, trust, corporate or society which pays rates on a property may nominate one of its members or officers as a non-resident ratepayer elector, provided that the nominator and the person nominated are both registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses which are outside the council district within which the property is situated.
  
• In the case of partners, joint tenants and tenants in common, who collectively pay rates on a property, one of the group may be nominated to be entered on the ratepayer electoral roll.  Again, the nominated person and the nominator must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses which are outside the council district within which the property is situated.
  

The term ‘council district’ includes a city, district and regional council area.