Frequently Asked Questions

Election day is Saturday 11 October 2025 with voting closing at 12noon. The voting period starts on Tuesday 9 September.

The electoral officer has full responsibility for running the election.

The electoral officer is:
Dale Ofsoske
Independent Election Services Ltd
Electoral Office: Level 2, 198 Federal Street, Auckland
Phone: 0800 922 822
Email:dale.ofsoske@electionservices.co.nz

The council’s electoral liaison person is:
Sara Dymond
Governance Team Leader
South Taranaki District Council 105-109 Albion Street, Hāwera
Phone: 0800 111 323 or (06) 278 0555
Email:sara.dymond@stdc.govt.nz

The electoral officer is:
Dale Ofsoske
Independent Election Services Ltd
Electoral Office: Level 2, 198 Federal Street, Auckland
Phone: 0800 922 822
Email:dale.ofsoske@electionservices.co.nz

The council’s electoral liaison person is:
Sara Dymond
Governance Team Leader
South Taranaki District Council 105-109 Albion Street, Hāwera
Phone: 0800 111 323 or (06) 278 0555
Email:sara.dymond@stdc.govt.nz

The FPP (first past the post) electoral system is used for both the South Taranaki District Council and the Taranaki Regional Council elections.

Electors will be able to vote for the mayor, ward councillors, community board members and Taranaki Regional Council members. There are no longer elections held for district health boards.

Following the decision to establish Māori wards in 2021, South Taranaki District Council undertook a representation arrangements review (review of wards, boundaries, numbers of elected members etc). As a result of this there will be 13 councillors elected from the following six wards*:

In addition, there will be 16 community board members elected as follows*:

*subject to determination by the Local Government Commission.

Māori ward councillors are elected by those enrolled to vote on the Māori electoral roll. Similarly, general ward councillors are elected by those enrolled to vote on the general electoral roll.

Make sure you're enrolled to vote. Click here to find out more.

The mayor:

• appoints the deputy mayor
• presides at council meetings;
• is a member of all committees;
• reads agenda and other materials before meetings;
• leads the council and co-ordinates council political activity;
• speaks on behalf of the council;
• represents the council on related organisations, where appointed;
• attends and participates at conferences and seminars;
• attends to complaints and enquiries from members of the public;
• presides at civic ceremonies;
• hosts visiting groups, including overseas delegations;
• attends and speaks at local functions, sometimes opening them;
• declares a state of civil defence emergency in the district if the need arises.

Mayor and councillors:

• participate in strategic and long-term planning for the whole district;
• develop policy across a wide range of activities and services;
• represent the district at functions as required;
• review and develop bylaws for the district;
• advocate on a wide range of issues;
• coordinate and form partnerships with other spheres of government and other agencies;
• participate in the appointment and performance review of the chief executive;
• act on all these matters within a legislative and regulatory framework;
• set a budget and rates;
• monitor the performance of the council organisation.

Community board members

• promote residents’ issues and initiatives to the board and the council;
• monitor the provision of council services and advocates changes as necessary;
• engage in community development activities in conjunction with council officers;
• take a proactive stance anticipating strategies and policies that may be needed;
• represent the community to other agencies;
• promote the role of the community board in the wider community;
• work cooperatively with the council.

Click here to read the Candidates Information Booklet with everything you need to know about standing in the 2025 Local Body Elections.

You must be a New Zealand citizen and your name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand).

When lodging your nomination, proof of citizenship will be required (copy of passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate).

You will need to have two electors enrolled on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll in the area you are standing for to nominate you – e.g. if you stand for the Pātea General Ward, the nominators will need to be two electors enrolled on the General Parliamentary Electoral Roll for that ward. (Note the candidate does not need to reside in the area in which they are standing but will need to disclose that fact in their candidate profile statement).

Nominations open on 4 July 2025. If you would like a nomination paper and candidate information handbook sent out, please contact the electoral office closer to this date. Nomination papers will also be available on council’s website (www.southtaranaki.com).

Candidate campaigning can start any time prior to the election (no time restriction), but any expenditure made, within or outside the three-month applicable period before election day, must be accounted for.

You will need to pay a nomination deposit of $200 GST inclusive. This deposit applies to each election you stand for.

Your nomination deposit can be paid by electronic bank transfer, EFTPOS, credit card or cash. Cheques will not be accepted. If you poll greater than 25% of the lowest polling successful candidate you will receive your nomination deposit back.

You don't need any formal qualifications. Elected members come from all walks of life and generally have a will/desire to serve the community All (or some) of the following capabilities will be useful in the elected member role:

• quality decision-making;
• political acumen;
• leadership;
• cultural awareness;
• strategic thinking;
• knowledge and understanding of South Taranaki District Council and local government;
• communication and engagement;
• relationship building and collaboration.

No, not for the South Taranaki District Council elections.

Three years.

No, but you must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand) and be a New Zealand citizen (by birth or citizenship ceremony). You will however need to disclose whether or not you reside in the area you are standing for in the candidate profile statement. The two people who nominate you must be on the relevant Parliamentary Electoral Roll within the area you are standing for.

No. To be eligible you must be a New Zealand citizen and your name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll (anywhere in New Zealand).

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

Equally if you are on the Māori electoral roll you 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 you are standing.

You can stand for mayor, a ward councillor, and a community board member but if you are elected to more than one position, you take the highest ranked position.

You cannot stand for more than one ward or for both the South Taranaki District Council and the Taranaki Regional Council.

A candidate is able to withdraw their nomination up until the close of nominations (noon, Friday 1 August 2025). After the close of nominations, a candidate is not able to withdraw their nomination. [Section 69, Local Electoral Act 2001].

However, should a candidate become incapacitated after the close of nominations but before the close of voting, application may be made for the cancellation of the nomination of a candidate.

‘Incapacitated’ means that a candidate, because the person is suffering from a serious illness or has sustained a serious injury, would be unlikely to be capable of performing the functions and duties of office if elected to office. [Section 69(7) Local Electoral Act 2001].

An application for the cancellation of the nomination of a candidate must be made to the electoral officer by submitting a prescribed form (available from the electoral office) together with a medical certificate.

You may provide a candidate profile statement when you lodge your nomination. This is a statement of up to 150 words containing information about yourself and your policies and intentions if elected to office. The profile statement will be included in the voting packs that all electors receive.

Your candidate statement can be submitted in Māori and English, but the information contained in each language must be substantially consistent with the information contained in the other language. Each language has to be within a 150-word limit.

Your profile statement must be true and accurate. The electoral officer is not required to verify or investigate any information included in your statement.

Your profile can include a recent passport size colour photograph.

In addition, your candidate profile statement must state whether or not your principal place of residence is in the area you are seeking election, e.g., ‘My principal place of residence is in the Pātea General Ward’, or ‘My principal place of residence is not in the Pātea General Ward’. This is not part of the 150-word limit.

See section 61 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 for more information.

Nominations close at 12noon, 1 August 2025.

It is strongly recommended that candidates do not leave lodging their nomination until the last day, as to do so may mean having to queue and should there be an error with the nomination, little time to have it corrected.

There is a limit on what you can spend on your campaign and it relates to the population of the area you are standing for.

The maximum amount that can be spent by a candidate cannot exceed the limits set out as follows:

*plus 50 cents for each elector

For example, a candidate for the Te Hāwera General Ward (which has a population in the range of 10,000 – 19,999) can spend up to $14,000 inclusive of GST.

If you stand for more than one position, the amount you can spend is the highest amount for one position. You cannot add positions together to allow you to spend more than the limit.

All candidates are required to lodge an electoral donations and expenses return within 55 days after the day on which the successful candidates are declared to be elected (by 11 December 2025).

If a candidate is outside New Zealand on this day, the return must be filed within 76 days after election result day.

If a return is not submitted within the required time period, the non-return will be advised to the New Zealand Police for enforcement.

The return needs to be received before a candidate nomination deposit is refunded if appropriate.

Yes, you can raise funds and claim expenses from your campaign. There is very specific legislation about donations and expenses which you need to abide by. See the electoral officer if you need more information.

Election campaigning can start at any time and continue up to and including election day.

No, Candidates are not permitted to use Council resources for campaigning purposes. Council resources include, but are not limited to, the Council’s logo, crest or branding, website, Facebook page, Twitter account, any other forms of social media, tablets, computers, ipads, email, mobile phones, faxes, stationery, photocopiers, printers, stamps, cars, meeting rooms and venues (except those available for public hire). This applies to either sitting members, Council staff or other candidates in any context that could reasonably be construed as campaigning for elections.

Yes. Councils have policies or guidelines for web and social media use related to campaigning. They will not permit council social media pages to be used by anyone (candidates or members of the public) for electioneering or campaigning in the three months before election day. Councils monitor their websites and take down any campaign related posts

No, candidates or their assistants should not collect voting documents from electors. Each elector should post or deliver their own voting document to the electoral officer.

It is an offence (carrying a fine of up to $5,000 if convicted) to interfere in any way with an elector with the intention of influencing or advising the elector as to how he or she should vote. Candidates and their assistants should be mindful of this particularly if campaigning occurs in facilities such as rest homes or hospitals.