Vote

No, you do not have to vote, but by voting you are exercising your democratic right to have your say on who represents you in local government.

Your vote is important because the people elected will be responsible for making decisions about what happens in your community for the next three years.

Electors will be able to vote for the Whangarei District Council Mayor and ward councillors and Northland Regional Council members. There are no longer elections held for District Health Board members.

You do not have to vote for both elections. This will not invalidate votes for other elections on your voting document.

You don't have to vote for all the candidates or for all the positions. 

For example: you can vote for the Mayor without voting for any of your ward candidates, and you can also vote for the referendum without voting for any candidates in the local election.

You can only vote for the elections relevant to the area in which you live and in which electoral roll you are on.

For example, you cannot vote for a candidate who is standing in one of the general  wards if you are on the Māori roll.

Equally, you cannot vote in the Far North District Council election if you live and pay rates in the Whangārei District.

To help you get to know the candidates:

• There may be candidate meetings held in your community where you can hear what policies the different candidates are advocating for.
• Your voting papers will include a candidate profile booklet with a photo and a statement of each candidate. This information will also be available on our website after nominations close on 1 August 2025.
• Candidates may have their own website, social media pages, advertise in local newspapers or send out information to letterboxes in your area.
• Local media are likely to cover information about the election.

The voter's name is not shown on the voting document. 

When the envelope is opened, the only thing the electoral office checks is that each vote is valid i.e. that the voter's intention is clear and the voter has not ticked or marked more than the number of candidates than there are vacancies.

Returned envelopes containing a voting document cannot be opened unless a Justice of the Peace (JP) is present.

The JP is required to sign off that the processes used by the Electoral Office meet the legal requirements. 

If you post your document back, you must make sure you have it in the mail by Tuesday 7 October 2025 to reach the Electoral Office in time (by noon Saturday 11 October 2025).

You can also hand deliver your voting document to a ballot box during the voting period (Tuesday 9 September 2025 to Saturday 11 October 2025).

Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, you cannot interfere or influence another person's vote.

If authorised by a voter who is physically or visually impaired or for whom English is a second language, a person can assist them to vote as directed by the voter.

No. A power of attorney does not apply to voting for that person. 

If they are overseas, you could post it to the person or destroy it if that is not practicable.

If they are for a person who is incapable of voting e.g. an elderly parent, destroy it. You cannot vote on their behalf unless instructed by them.

Write GNA (Gone No Address) on the envelope and put it back in the mail.

If you can fix it so that your intention is clear, then do so.

If necessary, we can give you a special voting document, but this will take time and you'll need to complete a declaration.

You can use another envelope and put the return address and Freepost number on it.

You will not need to put a stamp on the envelope if you write the Freepost number on the envelope and post it in New Zealand.

Freepost number 4710
The Electoral Office
Whangarei District Council
PO Box 5135
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142

If it is before Monday 22 September 2025 and you believe you are correctly enrolled on the electoral roll, wait until the mail has been delivered on Monday 22 September 2025.

If you have still not received your voting document, contact the Electoral Office on 0800 922 822.

If it is after Monday 22 September 2025 and you believe you are correctly enrolled on the electoral roll, you will need to apply for a special vote.

If it is after Monday 22 September 2025 and you believe you are not correctly enrolled on the electoral roll, you will need to complete a Parliamentary Electoral Roll enrolment form.

These are available at any post shop, or you can enrol, by phone or free text.

Online: www.vote.nz

Phone: 0800 36 76 56

Freetext: Send your name and address to 3676

You will need to apply for a special vote.

Use the original one and destroy the special vote.

Online voting is not available. If you will be overseas during the voting period (9 September to 11 October 2025), the electoral officer can fastpost a special vote to your overseas address on the 16 September 2025(start of the voting period).

You will need to ensure that it is returned to electoral officer by noon, 11 October 2025.

Please contact the electoral officer to arrange this. You will have to provide your current address (to determine what you are eligible to vote for) and an overseas address (where you will be around 9 September 2025).

Electoral Officer – Dale Ofsoske (Election Services)

Phone: 09 973 5212

Email: info@electionservices.co.nz