2025 - Local elections

Search for an address below, to find your regional council constituency.

Find out how to stand for election, where to enrol and how to vote

This information, is available to download:

What does a regional council do?

While district councils are responsible for a wide range of local services in your area, the role and responsibilities of the Regional Council involve managing the region’s natural resources. The  Northland Regional Council manages land, air, coast and the quality of water in our lakes and rivers. They are also responsible for biodiversity, regional parks, flood protection, emergency  management and regional transport. The Regional Council works closely with district councils and other agencies on some issues, to ensure they are managed to benefit the entire region.

Background to local government elections

Local government triennial elections are being held by postal vote on Saturday 11 October 2025 and will be undertaken by Election Services, under contract to Northland Regional Council.

The elections are undertaken on behalf of the regional council by its three constituent territorial authorities (Far North District Council, Whangārei District Council and Kaipara District Council). In  addition to their own elections (Mayor, Council etc), each constituent territorial authority is also required to undertake regional council elections.

The first past the post (FPP) electoral system will be used by the Northland Regional Council and Kaipara District Council elections. Whangārei District Council and Far North District Council use the single transferable voting (STV) electoral system.

Who is being elected?

Elections will be required for the following positions:

Councillors (9)

• Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency (1)
• Coastal Central General Constituency (1)
• Coastal South General Constituency (1)
• Far North General Constituency (1)
• Kaipara General Constituency (1)
• Mid North General Constituency (1)
• Te Raki Māori Constituency (2)
• Whangārei Central General Constituency (1)

In addition, there will be a poll on whether the Māori constituency remains or is disestablished. The outcome of this poll is binding and will be applicable for the 2028 and 2031 triennial elections.

How can I be nominated?

Nominations for these positions open on Friday 4 July 2025 and close at noon on Friday 1 August 2025.

For online nominations go to the elections portal (after 4 July): www.esp.electionservices.co.nz

Printed nomination papers and a candidate handbook will also be available during this period from:

• Council’s Whangārei Office, 36 Water Street, Whangārei;
• Council’s Dargaville Office, 32 Hokianga Road, Dargaville;
• Council’s Kaitāia Office, 192 Commerce Street, Kaitāia;
• Council’s Waipapa Office, Shop 9, 12 Klinac Lane, Waipapa;
• or download and print from this site when available.

To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be:

• a New Zealand citizen (by birth or naturalisation ceremony); and
• enrolled as a Parliamentary elector (anywhere in New Zealand); and
• nominated by two electors whose names appear on the electoral roll within the respective area that a candidate is standing for.

A candidate information handbook will be available in May 2025.

Who can vote?

Those eligible to vote are all resident electors and non-resident ratepayer electors whose names appear on the electoral roll when it closes on Friday 1 August 2025. The Preliminary Electoral Roll will be available for public inspection between Friday 4 July 2025 and Friday 1 August 2025 at the above locations.

Resident Roll

All parliamentary electors, including those on the Māori Electoral Roll, are automatically enrolled on the Resident Roll, at the address where they live. Any alterations to the Resident Roll (e.g. change of address details, including new postal addresses) should be made by:

• completing the appropriate form (available from the Electoral Commission or constituent territorial authority office or library);
• phoning 0800 367 656;
• accessing the Electoral Commission website: www.vote.nz

Ratepayer Roll

If a person is on the parliamentary roll in one area and pays rates on a property in another area, this person may be eligible to be enrolled on the non-resident ratepayer roll. A firm, company, corporation or society paying rates on a property may nominate one of its members or officers as a ratepayer elector (provided the nominated person resides outside the area). Ratepayer Roll enrolment forms are available at www.ratepayer.co.nz or by phoning 0800 922 822.

Those electors on the general electoral roll will be able to vote for the respective general constituency councillors and those on the Māori electoral roll will be able to vote for the Māori  constituency councillors.

How to vote

Voting packs will be posted to all those who have enrolled from Tuesday 9 September 2025, by each constituent territorial authority.

The voting period is just over four weeks (Tuesday 9 September 2025 to noon Saturday 11 October 2025).

Electors may post their completed voting documents back to the electoral officer using the orange prepaid envelope sent with their voting document.

Polling places for the issuing of special voting documents and for the receiving of completed voting documents will be available from Tuesday 9 September 2025 to noon Saturday 11 October 2025 at:

• Far North District Council’s main office, 5 Memorial Avenue, Kaikohe;
• Kaipara District Council’s main office, 32 Hokianga Road, Dargaville;
• Whangārei District Council’s main office, Te Iwitaki, 9 Rust Avenue, Whangārei.
• Northland Regional Council’s main office, 36 Water Street, Whangārei.

To be counted, all completed voting documents must be in the hands of the electoral officer or an electoral official by noon, Saturday 11 October 2025.

Results

Progress results will be known early afternoon on election day, and preliminary results will be known on Sunday, 12 October 2025.

Final results will be known by Friday 17 October 2025, and all results will be accessible on Council’s website.