Our next local elections are being held on Saturday 11 October 2025 to elect the Mayor and eight Councillors.

Now is a great time to check that you are enrolled, so you can choose your council and vote. If you are enrolled on an electoral roll, you should receive your voting papers between 9 and 22 September 2025.

Candidate Information Evening

Nau mai, haere mai | All welcome
Are you thinking about standing for the 2025 Local Body Elections?
Come along to the Candidate information evening, Wednesday 28 May from 5:30pm in the Concert Chamber. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about standing for Council and what it means if you are elected.
There will be guest speakers, who will talk about their experiences as an elected member, as well as a presentation from Kawerau District Council’s Chief Executive Morgan Godfery and Election Services to help you in the lead up to the election period.
If you think you may be interested, more information is available online on votelocal.co.nz.
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR CANDIDATES ON Friday, 4 July and close on Friday, 1 August 2025.

Timeline for candidate information evening
5:00pm Doors open, light refreshments
5:30pm Presentation by Election Services and Morgan Godfery
6:30pm Informal Q&A with light refreshments

Basis of Election for the 2025 Local Elections

The 2025 Kawerau District Council election looks a little different due to the representation review completed in 2024. What this means is the 2025 - 2028 Council will comprise: 

Mayor - elected 'at large'

8 Councillors in total - 

• 2 elected 'at large' 
• 3 elected Kawerau Māori Ward 
• 3 elected Kawerau General Ward 

LOCAL AUTHORITY ELECTIONS ON 11 OCTOBER 2025

Local authority elections will be held on Saturday, 11 October this year. This notice tells you how to enrol, and who can enrol as a ratepayer elector, so you can vote in the elections.

The Electoral Roll closes on Friday 1 August 2025. If you enrol after this date, you will need to cast a ‘special vote’ at the election.

You can vote by post. Make sure you are on the Electoral Roll to receive your postal voting document.

You can only enrol once 
You can only enrol, or be nominated to enrol, once in a council district, no matter how many properties you own in that council district.

What ‘Council District’ means in this Notice
‘Council district’ includes:

• city, district and regional council areas
• a community board area, if established
• the area of Auckland Council and the local boards.

Residential Electors
If you are registered to vote in Parliamentary elections (a Parliamentary elector), you are automatically enrolled as a residential elector to vote in local authority elections. The address where you are registered as a Parliamentary elector must be in the council district for the local authority elections.

Ratepayer Electors
You may be eligible to enrol as a non-resident ratepayer elector in a council district if both of these apply:

• you are on the district valuation roll and pay rates in the council district
• the address where you are registered as a Parliamentary elector is outside that council district.

Your eligibility to enrol or be nominated as a ratepayer may also depend on your individual circumstances as determined by criteria in the Local Electoral Act 2001 and its regulations.

An organisation can nominate one of its members or officers to vote on its behalf
Any organisation, firm, company, trust, corporation or society or association that pays rates on one or more properties in a council district may nominate one of its members or officers to be the ratepayer elector. 

The person nominated must consent to the nomination and not be enrolled or nominated as a ratepayer elector for any other property. The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses outside the council district where the property is located.

If more than one person pays rates on the same property
If partners, joint tenants and tenants in common collectively pay rates on a property in a council district, one of the group may be nominated to go on the Electoral Roll. The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses outside the council district where the property is located.
Existing Ratepayer Electors should have received an enrolment confirmation form
New Electoral Rolls are compiled every three years for the local authority elections. 
You should already have an enrolment confirmation form or other advice on your ratepayer elector status if:

• you were enrolled as a ratepayer elector for the 2022 local authority elections, or since then
• you enrolled or were nominated as a ratepayer elector.

Do not have your enrolment confirmation form?
Contact the local council you pay rates to if:

• you are still waiting to receive your Enrolment Confirmation Form or other advice about your non-resident ratepayer status
• you have misplaced your Enrolment Confirmation Form.

New Ratepayer Electors who wish to enrol or nominate a Ratepayer Elector
If you think you may be eligible to enrol or to nominate someone as a ratepayer elector:

• go to www.ratepayer.co.nz to check your eligibility
• get an Enrolment Form for Ratepayer Electors from the local council where you pay your rates
• get this form early so you can get answers to any questions you have about the form or being on the Electoral Roll before the roll closes on Friday 1 August 2025.

Your local council’s Electoral Officer will be able to help you with your application:

• phone (09) 973 5212
• email info@electionservices.co.nz

This public notice is issued pursuant to section 39(1)(a), Local Electoral Act 2001.

Dale Ofsoske
Electoral Officer

To stand or vote in the Local Government Elections for candidates standing to represent the Kawerau District Council, you need to be enrolled.

Who can enrol?

• People who are 18 years or older
• New Zealand citizens or a permanent resident who has lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some time in your life
• People who have lived at their current address for more than one month

If you are enrolled for parlimentart elections, the you are automatically enrolled for Council elections. 

You might also be eligible to vote if:

• You pay rates on a property in Kawerau, even if you don't live in the property or the Kawerau District 
• You have been nominated by a firm, company, corporation or society paying rates on a property in Kawerau (even if you are not a Kawerau resident)

Enrol, Check or Update Your Details > 

• Call 0800 36 76 56 
• Email enrol@vote.nz

Note: To enrol you will need to have your New Zealand driver licence, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity

If you don't live in Kawerau, but you pay rates on a property here, you can enrol using the ratepayer enrolment form.

Ratepayer enrolment online portal >

Ratepayer enrolment form for Ratepayer Electors

When can you choose rolls?

The Māori Electoral Option is a choice for Māori about which electoral roll to be on.
If you are of Māori descent, you can choose to be on either the Māori electoral roll or general electoral roll - up until the 11 July 2025. After this, the option to change rolls pauses during the pre-election period for the local elections. 

For more information about the Māori Electoral Option or about enrolling to vote, contact the Electoral Commission:

Call 0800 36 76 56
Email enrol@vote.nz
Website vote.nz

Wātaka | Timeline

2025 Local Government Elections