Nominations for candidates to fill Tauranga City Council’s vacant Te Awanui Māori Ward seat have now closed, ahead of the by-election to be held next month.

Five candidates have put themselves forward for the Te Awanui Ward seat, which became vacant earlier this year after Mikaere Sydney resigned due to medical reasons.

Mayor Mahé Drysdale says while the by-election is being held under unfortunate circumstances, it’s pleasing that five candidates have put themselves forward to stand.

“It’s now up to voters to have their say on who they think will best represent Te Awanui at the Council governance table,” says Mahé.

“I encourage everyone with an interest in the Te Awanui Ward to get involved in the by-election process and encourage others to do the same. Enrol on the Māori roll if you are eligible, get to know the candidates who are standing, and then make sure voting papers are submitted when voting officially opens next month.”

The names of candidates who have put themselves forward can be found at www.tauranga.govt.nz/by-election-te-awanui and candidate profiles will be added in the coming days.

Voting opens on Monday, 7 April and will close at midday, Tuesday, 29 April. Voting will be conducted using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system, where candidates are numbered from most preferred to least preferred.

Who can vote?
To vote for a candidate standing for Te Awanui Māori Ward, voters must:
• Be a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand or permanent resident who has lived here continuously at any time for one year or more
• Have lived at their current address within Tauranga city for more than one month
• Be over the age of 18
• Be enrolled with the Electoral Commission on the Māori roll.

Eligible voters who were enrolled on the Māori roll by Monday, 3 March will receive voting documents in the mail from Monday, 7 April. As happened in last year’s local body election, voters will be able to put their completed voting paper in any of the orange voting bins located across Tauranga. More information on voting bin locations will become available in the coming weeks.

Enrolment and Special Voting
If those eligible would still like to vote in the by-election but are not yet on the Māori electoral roll, a special vote will be required.

Head to www.vote.nz to check enrolment status, or visit the special voting kiosk at He Puna Manawa - Tauranga Library, 21 Devonport Road, from 7 April to midday 29 April 2025, where you can enrol and vote.

For more information on the by-election visit www.tauranga.govt.nz/by-election-te-awanui

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