Latest news with #WarwickLampp
Newsroom
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Newsroom
Last-minute rush of local election nominations not enough to fill all seats
Analysis: It's mayhem at the offices of Ltd and Election Services Ltd on Friday morning, as the two council election providers process late-landing nominations for local government elections. Christchurch-based Electionz is running the postal ballots for 47 territorial authorities and eight regional councils. The stress is palpable in the voice of harried electoral officer Warwick Lampp. It's just two hours from the midday deadline for nominations, and 'I'm busy', he says. 'There's plenty of candidates coming in.' Are there as many as last time? Are there enough candidates to fill the empty positions on councils and community boards? 'We're too busy to be worrying about that at this point in time,' he says. 'I've got two hours to go. My phone's going nuts all the time.' There's a similar final day rush at Election Services in Auckland, which is running the elections for 23 councils. But Dale Ofsoske, the veteran chief electoral officer and managing director, finds a few quick minutes for Newsroom, and checks the numbers. With two hours to go, he tells me, they have 1250 candidates – that's down on the 1490 they had in 2022. Some councils won't have enough candidates for the available governing body and board positions, he says – though we are at least tracking to have a full slate of mayors. As the deadline approached, the election firms hadn't yet published any nominations from Dunedin mayor Jules Radich or Kawerau mayor Faylene Tunui – though both had been expected to seek re-election. At 10am today, Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz was still unopposed, and on track to keep the chains without requiring a vote. So too David Moore in Ōpōtiki, and Marie Black in Hurunui. In Kawerau, locals expected Tunui (who was unopposed in 2022) would dash off a nomination at the last minute, but weren't 100 percent sure – and Tunui wasn't answering her phone. For now, the only mayoral candidate is councillor Carolyn Ion, but she's taking nothing for granted. 'All you can do is put your application in – your 150 words, your mug shot, all of that – then wait for midday and see who else is in.' (Update, Friday 1.20pm: Radich and Tunui both confirm they have lodged their nomination forms, and are seeking reelection to their towns' mayoralties). Ion agrees, nomination numbers appear low in Kawerau and nationwide. 'It's tough out there. It's a hard place to be, and you've got to have thick skin, to be in local government for your communities.' It underscores the real problem with engagement and participation in local government – and I'm told that's been made worse by the way the Government has hung them out to dry in the past 12 months. They've been accused by the PM of wasteful spending; Local Government Minister Simon Watts has told them to stick to the basics: roads, water and rubbish. Of course, average rates rises of 12.2 percent last year are impossible to accept or justify. Even those mayors and councillors who voted for them agree. But they claim they had no alternative, with their borrowing capacity maxed out and increasing costs imposed on them by inflation, insurance and central government. It's a vicious downward spiral. Without enough good candidates, and without real engagement in local politics, councils will struggle to get people out to vote. And if they don't vote, they're less likely to feel any ownership of decisions. Ion encourages anyone still dithering, their finger poised on the send key of their nomination form in the final hour, to go for it. 'It's for the good of the place. You've got to have some skin in the game. You've got to stick up for your community. Otherwise, I think we'll just be bulldozed.' Kawerau should know. Its population of fewer than 8000 people, in a district that you can walk across in 20 minutes, has been fighting for survival as its mills close. And there's increased talk of amalgamating with other councils in the eastern Bay of Plenty, like Whakatane. The struggle finding more than one person who even wants to be mayor can only worsen the risk that it will have to amalgamate. 'The 'A' word has been floating around ever since I walked in the place,' Ion says. 'But to retain your autonomy, to be in charge of your own your future, is really important.' Local Government NZ's working group on electoral reform has proposed a return to in-person voting at polling booths; security services have advised that online voting isn't secure, and this may be the last local election that the flailing NZ Post can realistically get the voting papers out and back again. Ofsoske agrees there are problems with postal voting, but he believes the answer is online. There's no security issues they can't handle, with sufficient resourcing, he says. And so we come back to the problem that councils are strapped for cash – they can't pay to invest in new election technology. As of Wednesday, there were 47 regional council seats where there were no candidates, or only one. The country's city and district councils are similarly impacted. Like Lampp, Ofsoske remains hopeful of a last-minute rush. 'It's just human nature for people to leave it to the last minute,' he says. 'We've had a very busy last couple of days for our councils, about 250 nominations per day.' And there is much to take heart about. There may not be a lot of candidates, but they represent a range of voices in their communities. 'What I'm observing with nominations, that have been coming in the last couple of weeks, is a good diversity of candidates, and a good spread of different nationalities to reflect the makeup of communities like Auckland. I'm really encouraged by that.'
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Briefing Session For Aspiring Local Government Candidates
Taupō District Council's electoral officer Warwick Lampp will be hosting a candidate briefing session in Taupō on Tuesday 1 July. Any interested or intending candidates for the local government elections in October are welcome to come along to find out more and ask questions at the session, which will be held at 6pm on Tuesday 1 July at Waiora House, 100 Kaimanawa Street, Taupō. Deputy electoral officer Shainey James says she's hoping to see a wide range of people at the briefing next week. 'Taupō District needs leaders from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. 'Becoming a councillor is a great opportunity to help the community. A democracy only succeeds if people are prepared to give it a go, do their bit and have a say. 'The session is designed to help you find out what being an elected member is all about and to see if you're up for the challenge. "This role is both demanding and rewarding - you'll drive change that benefits people and communities now and for generations to come,' said Ms James. The session will cover the key dates candidates need to be aware of, how the nomination process works, the different roles, General and Māori wards, the Māori Ward poll, what candidates can and can't do while campaigning and being an elected member involves. The session will be livestreamed at @TaupoDistrictCouncilNZ. You can join the livestream and send any questions in advance tosjames@ Candidate nominations are open from 4 July until 12 noon on Friday 1 August. To find out more about the 2025 elections visit
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
The Rules When Running For Local Government
If you're considering having a crack at local government elections, you'll need to put down the shades, cat and baby for your candidate photo. Potential candidates are being reminded of a few pitfalls ahead of nominations opening for local government elections on 4 July. Speaking to a Kaikōura District Council workshop this week, electoral officer Warwick Lampp said candidates needed to submit a passport sized photo with their 150 word profile. The photo needs to be of your head and shoulders, with no sunglasses, no hat and not accompanied by whānau, pets, friends or kissing a baby. Candidates must be a New Zealand citizen. You do not need to reside in the district(s) you choose to stand in - but your two nominees do. If you or your partner hold a contract of more than $25,000 for your local council you cannot stand, unless you have prior approval from the Auditor-General. Nominations close at 12pm on Friday, August 1, and Lampp said no late nominations were accepted. ''Remember, if you are sending it by email, it is not the time you send it, but the time it lands in the council's email system. ''It has to be in the hands of the electoral officer by 12 noon, so if you are emailing at 11.59am, it probably won't arrive in the returning officer's inbox until 12.01pm. ''If you are in the door it can be processed at 12 noon, provided there are no issues, because you won't have time to fix them.'' Once nominations close, you are on the ballot paper, Lampp said. ''It does happen that people have to withdraw because of ill-health or death or another reason.'' In 2019, Seven Sharp journalist Julian Lee got himself nominated for the Mackenzie district mayoralty while working on a story. He failed to withdraw his nomination in time and ended up running ''a don't vote for me'' campaign, Lampp said. ''It actually boosted the voter turnout as it meant there was a mayoral contest.'' Lampp said orange ballot boxes were set to become a common feature in this year's local government elections as councils look to make it easier for people to vote. ''Orange ballot boxes are the way to go these days because of the pressures on the postal service.'' Kaikōura District Council deputy electoral officer Becky Makin said orange bins would be located at strategic locations around the district. Voting papers are posted out from 9 September, with voting closing at midday on Saturday, 11 October. A telephone dictation service is available from the Electoral Commission to assist those who are unable to read the voting papers. Christchurch-based Ltd runs the elections for several councils around the country, including the Kaikōura district. There will be elections for mayor, seven councillors elected at large, and two Environment Canterbury councillors in the North Canterbury constituency.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
The rules when running for local government
Nominations close at 12pm on Friday, 1 August, and late nominations are not being accepted. Photo: NZ ELECTORAL COMMISSION If you're considering having a crack at local government elections, you'll need to put down the shades, cat and baby for your candidate photo. Potential candidates are being reminded of a few pitfalls ahead of nominations opening for local government elections on 4 July. Speaking to a Kaikōura District Council workshop this week, electoral officer Warwick Lampp said candidates needed to submit a passport sized photo with their 150 word profile. The photo needs to be of your head and shoulders, with no sunglasses, no hat and not accompanied by whānau, pets, friends or kissing a baby. Candidates must be a New Zealand citizen. You do not need to reside in the district(s) you choose to stand in - but your two nominees do. If you or your partner hold a contract of more than $25,000 for your local council you cannot stand, unless you have prior approval from the Auditor-General. Nominations close at 12pm on Friday, August 1, and Lampp said no late nominations were accepted. ''Remember, if you are sending it by email, it is not the time you send it, but the time it lands in the council's email system. ''It has to be in the hands of the electoral officer by 12 noon, so if you are emailing at 11.59am, it probably won't arrive in the returning officer's inbox until 12.01pm. ''If you are in the door it can be processed at 12 noon, provided there are no issues, because you won't have time to fix them.'' Once nominations close, you are on the ballot paper, Lampp said. ''It does happen that people have to withdraw because of ill-health or death or another reason.'' In 2019, Seven Sharp journalist Julian Lee got himself nominated for the Mackenzie district mayoralty while working on a story. He failed to withdraw his nomination in time and ended up running ''a don't vote for me'' campaign, Lampp said. ''It actually boosted the voter turnout as it meant there was a mayoral contest.'' Lampp said orange ballot boxes were set to become a common feature in this year's local government elections as councils look to make it easier for people to vote. ''Orange ballot boxes are the way to go these days because of the pressures on the postal service.'' Kaikōura District Council deputy electoral officer Becky Makin said orange bins would be located at strategic locations around the district. Voting papers are posted out from 9 September, with voting closing at midday on Saturday, 11 October. A telephone dictation service is available from the Electoral Commission to assist those who are unable to read the voting papers. Christchurch-based Ltd runs the elections for several councils around the country, including the Kaikōura district. There will be elections for mayor, seven councillors elected at large, and two Environment Canterbury councillors in the North Canterbury constituency. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
