The mayor and councillors are voted in to office for a three-year term. They cannot be removed by Governing Body resolution, by the Local Government Commission, or by the Minister of Local Government [1] (or any other central government minister). However, the mayor or councillor will no longer hold office if they.
are absent without leave from four consecutive meetings (other than extraordinary meetings)
are disqualified from office. This occurs if the member:
is convicted of voting or taking part in a council decision in which they have a financial interest (if the member does not successfully appeal the decision)contracts with the council and the value of the contract(s) is more than $25,000 in any one financial year
no longer qualifies as an elector (i.e. is no longer a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident)
is convicted of an offence punishable by two years or more imprisonment [3], (the two year timing reflects a policy decision to make sure that individual minor offences do not disqualify a Governing Body member).
There will be a new election for a vacant position if a vacancy occurs more than 12 months before the next triennial general election [4]. This is referred to as a by- election. Depending on timing, there is the option that the role remains vacant, or a person is appointed without an election.
