By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting
Voting numbers in Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitīkei districts are well up from the last election, with the count for one district nearly double that of the same time in 2022.
But the figures for Whanganui are still well below the council’s target.
“We’re aiming for at least 50% turnout, so we need a big final push,” Whanganui District Council democracy manager Anna Palamountain said.
Figures as at 1 October – 10 days before election day – show 6960 Whanganui votes have been counted (20.77% of 33,505 electors) compared to 14.89% at the same time in 2022.
In the general ward, where 23 candidates are standing for 10 seats, 21.05% of voting papers have been returned – slightly more than in the new Māori ward, where 19.13% votes of a potential 4810 have been counted in the race for two seats.
A council-run voting festival supported by local bands on Saturday, 27 October, had encouraged scores of people to vote, Palamountain said. At one point, the team ran out of voting papers.
“While we weren’t able to get an exact vote count on the day, we estimate our team helped over 200 people navigate the enrolment and voting process – many of whom were voting for the first time.
“People were lining up to vote for almost the entirety of the day and the atmosphere in Majestic Square was extremely harmonious and positive – which is refreshing given how polarising politics can be these days.”
Palamountain said it was challenging to get people engaged in local elections. Running the Up the Vote! festival was “a bit of an experiment”.
“We think it was a great success that helped bring new voters into the fold while also promoting the ‘Up the Vote’ message to the community at large.”
The council is also running a series of pop-up voting stations where people can enrol and vote on the spot.
Rural surge
Returns show a surge of voting in the Ruapehu district, with 1938 votes returned to date, representing 23.23% of the 8344 eligible votes.
Compared to the same time 10 days before the 2022 local elections, which saw 12.90% of votes returned, the numbers have nearly doubled.
However, the count is still below returns of more than 25% at the same time in the 2019 and 2016 elections.
Breaking down the total, 1534 votes (24.06% of 6377 electors) have been cast in Ruapehu’s general ward. Voting in the Māori ward has been slightly lower, with 404 votes (20.54% of 1967 electors) counted.
In Rangitīkei, more than a quarter (26%) of 10,935 electors have returned their voting papers, compared to 18.90% at the same time in 2022. This included 196 votes (26.31% of 745 electors) in Tiikeitia ki Tai (coastal) ward, the only Māori ward being contested in this election.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) said a last-minute effort would be critical to strong voter turnout this election.
As at 1 October, 622,936 votes had been returned nationwide, representing 18.04% of eligible votes.
Compared to the same time 10 days before the 2022 local elections, which saw 353,005 votes returned (10.56% of eligible voters), the numbers had nearly doubled.
‘The strong level of public interest in issues such as rates rises and Māori wards has likely encouraged more people to have their say.’
LGNZ Interim Chief Executive Scott Necklen said voters have until October 7 to post their voting papers, or can drop them into a council ballot box by midday on October 11.
“Based on the figures, this year’s local elections have the potential to better the 40% voter turnout in 2022. Almost all councils are tracking ahead in this regard, particularly rural councils,” Necklen said.
“This is encouraging as we know the bulk of voting paper returns – up to 70% of the total number for some councils – typically happens in the last seven days before an election.”
Necklen said an extra week of voting this year, alongside more orange ballot boxes in place compared to previous elections, had helped lift numbers.
“The strong level of public interest in issues such as rates rises and Māori wards has likely also encouraged more people to have their say.”
LGNZ said as at 1 October, 24% of voting papers had been returned for rural councils, 21.4% for provincial councils and 16.3% for metro councils. For local councils running a Māori Ward referendum, 19.8% of voting papers had been returned.
The highest percentage of votes returned so far was Wairoa District at 33.36% (1900 votes). The lowest percentage was Carterton District at 10.53% (813 votes).
Key dates for voters
- Post voting papers no later than Tuesday 7 October.
- Drop papers into an orange voting bin up until midday on 11 October. Bins are located at supermarkets, libraries, service stations and council facilities – details are on your council’s website.
- Need special voting papers? If your pack hasn’t arrived or has been damaged, contact your local electoral officer or check the vote.nz website.
Awa FM – Te Reo Irirangi o Whanganui
For more of our people, our stories, our way, click News or follow us on Facebook.
