20 August 2019

A hotly contested election is in the pipeline for most areas of the district, with only two current Councillors re-elected unopposed.

Nominations closed at noon last Friday and the race is on across the district to secure seats at the Council table and for our five community boards. The Te Kauwhata Licencing Trust has six vacancies and only six people nominated, so they have all been elected unopposed.

Waikato District Council Chief Executive Gavin Ion is happy with the number of community members willing to put their hand up to represent the Waikato district.

“Having a good number of candidates willing to be the voice for their community is always pleasing and it’s great that elections will be held in all but two of our wards, as well as for mayor. The number of those willing to stand up and represent their community on a community board is also fantastic.”

The full list of candidates can be found at votewaikato.co.nz.

Voting papers including a booklet with statements from candidates will be arriving in letterboxes from 20 September ahead of Election Day on 12 October. You will be able to vote by post or by dropping your vote in at one of our Council offices.

The electoral roll has now closed and the focus now shifts to encouraging everyone to have a say and vote.

If you are not enrolled to vote, it’s not too late although you will need to complete a special vote. Visit our FAQ page on www.votewaikato.co.nz for more information.

If community groups want to hold meet the candidate events they are encouraged to get in touch with Council (elections@waidc.govt.nz) so these can be displayed on the Vote Waikato website. To ensure the Council remains neutral throughout the elections, it will not run or endorse any candidate event.

ENDS

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