Standing as an Elected Member

This is the current criteria for candidates and nominators of candidates for the Local Authority Election 2010.  

Candidate Nomination

The candidate nomination period has now closed. 

View the confirmed candidates here.

Candidate Information Handbook and associated maps

This handbook outlines information which candidates need to know for the 2010 local authority elections.

Candidate Information Handbook for Local Government Elections 9 October 2010 (PDF, 66 pages, 471Kb)

Maps for Section 5 of the Candidate Information Handbook

• Ward Boundary Maps (PDF, 1 page, 153Kb)
• Community Boards Maps (PDF, 1 page, 174Kb)
• Ward Maps, Boundary Adjustment, Panorama Drive (PDF, 1 page, 55Kb)
• Community Boards Map, Boundary Adjustment, Mary Crest (PDF, 1 page, 61Kb)

Maps for Section 8 of the Candidate Information Handbook

• Election advertising locations (PDF, 10 pages, 400Kb) 

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 Kāpiti 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 Kāpiti Coast District in a ward and as a Councillor for election by the electors of the Kāpiti 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 Kāpiti Coast District Council and its Community Board elections
• no member (includes the Mayor) of the Kāpiti Coast District may be a candidate as a member of a community board of the Kāpiti Coast District, except when the elections of both the district and the community board are held concurrently
• no member (includes the Mayor) of the Kāpiti 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). 

Electioneering Signage

Clarification: Please note that electioneering signs are permitted from noon 13 August to midnight 8 October 2010.  The closing date for nominations is midday, 20 August 2010. 

Additional Information

Local Government New Zealand have prepared the handbook 'Making a stand made easy - a candidate's guide to local government' for people considering standing for election.  The guide explains the following:

• What is local government?
• What does a Councillor do?
• What is the nomination process?
• What is the election process?

Making a stand made easy - a candidate's guide to local government (PDF, 24 pages, 514Kb)  

A hard copy of the handbook is available at our Service Centres or phone (04) 296 4700 or 0800 486 486 (toll-free).