Election Signage and Advertising Rules

Authorisation Statements

Local Electoral Act 2001

All election material, including signs and hoardings, and any advertisements, must show an authorisation statement (being one of the following: a residential or business address; an email address; a post office box number; a phone number; a link to a page on an Internet site, if the page contains 1 or more of the other contact details specified). Not to do so is an electoral offence. Refer section 113 Local Electoral Act 2001.

Any social media profiles used for campaigning purposes should also feature an authorisation statement.

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, 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:
• The name of the ward or electorate in which the candidate is standing for election.

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.

Complaints about the content of election advertisements

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) deals with complaints about paid election advertising. This includes paid digital advertisements, paid communications from social media platforms (including boosted or sponsored posts and paid advertisements), print, radio, television, addressed and unaddressed mail, cinema and outdoor advertising (including hoardings).

The ASA will not get involved in complaints about posts that people visit voluntarily on branded social media pages (aka organic posts) or websites from political parties, candidates, and election-related advocacy groups.

Key code requirements

The ASA is interested in breaches of the Advertising Standards Code during the 2022 elections, including:

1. Social responsibility (Principle 1): Advertisements must be prepared and placed with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and to society.
2. Decency and offensiveness (rule 1(c)): Advertisements must not contain anything that is indecent, or exploitative, or degrading, or likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence, or give rise to hostility, contempt, abuse or ridicule.
3. Truthful presentation (rule 2(c)): Advertisements must not use tests, surveys, research results or quotations from technical and scientific literature in a manner which is misleading or deceptive
4. Advocacy advertising (rule 2(e)): Advocacy advertising must clearly state the identity and position of the advertiser. Opinion in support of the advertiser’s position must be clearly distinguishable from factual information. Factual information must be able to be substantiated.

Examples of previous complaints

1. Truthful presentation and advocacy advertising: John Tamihere for Mayor 19/336
2. Truthful presentation and advocacy advertising: C&R Candidates for the Waitemata Local Board 19/367
3. Organic (unpaid) advertising: Leo Molloy, Facebook 22/079

For more information, please visit the ASA website.