Candidate Criteria
To qualify as a candidate for election to a Community Board, District or Regional Council you need to be:
- enrolled on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll
- a New Zealand citizen
To qualify as a candidate for election to a District Health Board, you need to be:
- enrolled as a parliamentary elector anywhere in New Zealand
- a New Zealand citizen
- not disqualified by clause 17, Schedule 2 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000
Candidates need to be nominated by two people, who need to sign a nomination form. The nominees must be on the electoral roll in the subdivision of the Kapiti Coast District (ward community) that the candidate wishes to represent.
Candidates cannot nominate themselves for office. They can stand independently or under a party grouping or affiliation - similar to the process that political parties use in parliamentary elections.
Candidates do not need to be on the electoral roll of the subdivision that they wish to represent.
Restrictions for elections of Local Authorities
Restrictions for elections of District and Regional Councils, and of Community Boards:
- You cannot, at the same time, be a candidate for election for more than one ward or community of the same local authority.
- You cannot, at the same time, stand for election as a Councillor of the Kapiti Coast District in a ward and as a Councillor for election by the electors of the Kapiti Coast District as a whole.
- You cannot, at the same time, be a candidate for election in the Wellington Regional Council elections and in the Kapiti Coast District Council and its Community Board elections.
- No member (includes the Mayor) of the Kapiti Coast District may be a candidate as a member of a community board of the Kapiti Coast District, except when the elections of both the District and the community board are held concurrently.
- No member (includes the Mayor) of the Kapiti Coast District may be a candidate for election to the Greater Wellington Regional Council (nor vice versa), except when the elections of both authorities are held concurrently.
- No person can be elected to a local authority if he/she is concerned or interested in contracts over $25,000 in any financial year with that authority. This restriction is waived if approval from the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General is obtained. (Section 3(1) of the Local Authorities (Members Interests) Act 1968.)
- Any employee of a local authority elected to that authority must resign as an employee of the local authority before taking office as member of the local authority (Section 41(5) of the Local Government Act 2002).
Restrictions for elections of District Health Boards
- You cannot be a candidate for more than one district health board or for more than one constituency of a district health board.
- But, a candidate for a district health board can also stand for Mayor, District Council, Regional Council and Community Board, subject to the above restrictions.
Nominators
Nominators for candidates on District or Regional Councils, or for Community Boards can be residential or ratepayer electors. Nominators of district health board candidates must be residential electors in the district health board’s area (or its constituencies).
Opening and Closing Dates for Nominations
Nominations for all positions will open on Friday 27 July 2007 and will close at noon on Friday 24 August 2007.
Nomination forms will be available by telephoning out Call Centre on (04) 296 4700 or (06) 364 9301 (Otaki tollfree) or by calling at one of our Service Centres in Rimu Road or Waikanae or Otaki.
More Information
Detailed information booklets, to assist candidates during the electioneering period, will be available to all candidates from the Council's Deputy Electoral Officer from mid July 2007. Phone (04) 296 4700 or (06) 364 9301 (Otaki tollfree).
Also, a guide is available to people considering standing for election, entitled ‘Make a stand in 2007’. The guide explains the following;
- What is local government?
- What does a councillor do?
- What is the nomination process?
- What is the election process?
Copies may be picked up at our Service Centres.
An information session for prospective candidates will be held on Tuesday 10 July at 7pm at the Coastlands Meeting Room, Paraparaumu Library.