11.4 Standing for local elections
Roles people can stand for
Elections are held every three years for the following roles:
- Auckland Council’s Governing Body, consisting of:
- the mayor
- 20 ward councillors elected from 13 wards
- 151 Auckland Council local board members elected from 21 local boards
- Licensing Trust members:
- Birkenhead – 6 members
- Mt Wellington – 6 members
- Portage – 10 members
- Waitakere – 7 members
- Wiri – 6 members.
Eligibility for candidates
To qualify as a candidate for the positions of mayor, ward councillor, local board member or licensing trust member, a person must be [1]:
- a New Zealand citizen
- aged over 18
- enrolled on the parliamentary electoral roll.
Candidates do not need to reside in the area in which they are standing but will need to disclose that fact in their candidate profile statement [2].
Candidates need two people to nominate them. These people must be aged over 18 and enrolled to vote at an address in the area the candidate wants to represent [3]. Candidates can obtain information on rules and procedures from the candidate information handbook, available on VoteAuckland.co.nz.
Standing for more than one position
A candidate can stand for more than one position at a time but cannot stand for more than one Governing Body ward or one local board subdivision [4].
If a candidate is elected to multiple positions, the highest position takes precedence:
- a candidate elected to the position of mayor and Governing Body member, take the position of mayor [5].
- a candidate elected as a Governing Body member and local board member, take the Governing Body position [6].
A candidate can stand for multiple local board positions but can only serve on one. A candidate standing for multiple local boards must state their area of preference in their profile statement in their nomination [7]. If elected to multiple board positions, their stated area of preference takes precedence.
Campaigning
There are rules on how candidates are to behave to ensure elections are fair and transparent. Rules include using council resources, campaign costs and electoral signage.
Advice on campaigning is available on Information for candidates on VoteAuckland.co.nz.
Electoral donations
Electoral donations are money, goods or services given to a candidate (or other person on the candidate’s behalf) for use in the candidate’s campaign [8]. Electoral donations, and contributions to donations, of more than $1,500 (incl. GST) must be declared in the candidate return of donations and expenses [9]. A series of donations made by one person that adds up to more than $1,500 must also be declared.
The following are not deemed to be donations [10]:
- volunteer labour
- goods or services provided free of charge to a candidate, or to any person on the candidate’s behalf, that have a reasonable market value of $300 or less
- money provided by the candidate for his/her campaign.
If a person or organisation pays for goods or services that would otherwise be candidate election expenses, then the reasonable market value of those items should be recorded as an election expense. If the value exceeds $300 it should also be recorded as a donation.
Candidates are not allowed to retain anonymous donations exceeding $1,500 [11].
Campaign expenses
The amount a candidate can spend on his or her campaign relates to the population of the area they stand for and should not exceed the limits in the Candidates' guide on electoral donations and expenses (for further information visit the Vote Auckland website).
Footnotes
[1] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 5
[2] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 61(2)(ca)
[3] Local Electoral Act 2001, sections 26 and 55
[4] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 57A
[5] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 88
[6] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 88A
[7] Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009, section 11AAB
[8] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 103A
[9] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 112A
[10] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 103A
[11] Local Electoral Act 2001, section 103J