Thirty-two stand for new look regional council

Thirty-two people have been nominated to contest the nine seats available on a new look Northland Regional Council at this year’s local body elections.

Northlanders are currently represented by eight regional councillors elected from three constituencies based on district council boundaries.

However, at this year’s elections on October 12 voters will choose nine regional councillors representing seven, smaller constituencies across the North.

The regional council’s Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Nicolson says one of the key drivers behind the change was a desire to strengthen the representation Northlanders have around the council table.

“It also aims to empower communities to both better serve their own needs and aspirations and contribute to regional decision-making. As council’s CEO and a Northlander I’m pleased to see so many people putting their names forward as candidates.”

Mr Nicolson says 25 people stood for the regional council at the last elections in 2010.

The full list of this year’s candidates is:

• Coastal Central constituency (one vacancy);
Liz Cassidy-Nelson, Paul Dimery, Martin Hunt, Mike Kake, Pauline Rose, Vivienne Shepherd.

• Coastal North constituency (two vacancies);
Vaughan Gunson, Dover Samuels, Spencer Scoular, Bill Shepherd, Solomon Tipene.

• Coastal South constituency (one vacancy);
Craig Brown, Deborah Harding, Jan Vaudrey.

• Hokianga-Kaikohe constituency (one vacancy);
Justin Blaikie, Joe Carr, Simon Land, Puti Tipene.

• Kaipara constituency (one vacancy);
Rochelle Butt, Bill Guest, Jonathan Larsen, Graeme Ramsey, Andrew Wade.

• Te Hiku constituency (one vacancy);
Dennis Bowman, Mike Finlayson, Bronwyn Hunt.

• Whangarei Urban constituency (two vacancies);
John Bain, Paul Gosling, Mira Norris, Bill Rossiter, Huhana Seve, David Sinclair.

Meanwhile, Mr Nicolson says voting documents will be sent out from Friday 20 September. These must be returned in the Freepost envelope provided so the Electoral Officer receives them by noon on Election Day, Saturday 12 October.

ENDS

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