Now is the time to have your say on who represents your community by voting in the 2022 local elections.
Voting opens Friday, September 16 and closes Saturday, October 8. If you are an enrolled voter, you should receive your voting documents between 16-21 September.
Hamilton City Council has 46 candidates confirmed to contest the 15 seats available in the election.
This year, the total number of candidates is higher than the elections in 2019 with 42 candidates and 45 candidates in 2016.
The race for the mayoralty is between current mayor Paula Southgate, current deputy mayor Geoff Taylor, Lee Bloor, Lachlan Coleman, Jack Gielen, Horiana Henderson, Riki Manarangi and Donna Pokere-Phillips.
Hamilton’s East Ward received 20 candidates challenging for the six seats, while the West Ward received 17 candidates to its six seats.
There are six vying for two new seats in the Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward are Melaina Huaki, Maatai Ariki Kauae Te Toki, Donna Pokere-Phillips, James Ratana, Moko Tauariki and Te Pora Thompson.
For the seven positions available in the Waitomo District Council, 13 people put their names forward.
The mayoralty contest is between current mayor John Robertson and Andy Connors, while the Waitomo Rural Ward is challenged by Phil Brodie, Allan Goddard, Ross Herewini, Janette Osborne, Marilyn Park, Ronald Takerei, and Gavin Todd. The Te Kūiti Urban Ward is between Eady Manawaiti, Luke Moss, Janene New and Dan Tasker.
There are four people in the running for the Waipa District mayoralty including current mayor Jim Mylchreest, Susan O’Regan, Chris Woodhams and Bernard Westerbaan.
Bernard Westerbaan is also standing against Marcus Gower, Lou Brown, Andrew Brown, James Parlane and Bernie Fynn for one of three councillor positions in the Te Awamutu-Kihikihi Ward, and Cambridge will see Liz Stolwyk, Don Sanders, Roger Gordon, Mike Pettit, Philip Coles, and Delwyn Smith vie for the seat.
In the running for the Waipā Māori ward seat is Bill Harris, Gaylene Roberts and Takena Stirling. In the Pirongia-Kakepuku Ward, Clare St Pierre, Corilin Steel and Bruce Thomas vie for two positions while Les Bennett and Mike Montgomerie go head-to-head for the Maungatautari seat.
After a last-minute rush of nominations, Waikato District Council, 67 candidates put their hands up to represent the district.
Aksel Bech, Jacqui Church, Korikori Hawkins and Ra Puriri are contesting the mayoralty, while 29 nominations were received for councillor positions across the district, and 38 for community boards.
Huntly and Raglan Community Boards have 11 and nine people respectively putting their hands up to contest the six seats on each board.
But only three candidates put their names forward for six spaces on the Tuakau Community Board, which will prompt a by-election in early 2023.
In the South Waikato 28 people have put their names forward for the 11 positions available on the council and four vacancies on the community board.
The mayoralty will be a head-to-head race between current Tokoroa councillor Arama Ngapo and current Putaruru councillor Gary Petley.
The Tīrau ward councillor and the four Tīrau Community Board members have been elected unopposed.
In the Matamata-Piako District Council region, Stu Husband, Russell Smith and Adrienne Wilcock are vying for the mayoralty. There are eight nominations for the Morrinsville Ward, six for Te Aroha and Matamata.
Gary Thompson (Ngāti Paoa) has been elected unopposed to the inaugural Te Toa Horopū ā Matamata-Piako Ward.
Waikato Regional Council received 29 nominations for 14 seats in six general and two Māori constituencies.
The number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies in the two Māori constituencies meaning Tipa Mahuta and Kataraina Hodge have been elected unopposed.
However, voting will take place in all six of the general constituencies – Hamilton, Taupō-Rotorua, Waihou, Waipā-King Country, Thames-Coromandel and Waikato.
Local elections no longer include District Health Board elections. The boards are being replaced by a new body, Health New Zealand.
