Candidate evening for potential elected members

Are you thinking of standing in the 2022 local elections in the Waipā District?

Voters will go to the polls again on 8 October this year to elect a Mayor, two Community Boards and 11 Councillors. For the very first time, a Māori ward councillor will be elected.

On 21 June, Waipā District Council Electoral Officer Warwick Lampp will host a Candidate Information evening for those interested in standing.

This will be held at 6pm at the Karapiro room at the Don Rowlands Centre, Mighty River Domain, 601 Maungatautari Road, Cambridge.

At the information evening, potential elected members can learn about:

• The positions to be elected
• The qualification rules and nomination process to stand for election.
• The rules governing candidate promotion during the election campaign.
• The level of commitment required

Waipā governance manager Jo Gread urged people wanting to contribute to the future of their community and the district to attend the event.

“The candidate information evening is a valuable opportunity for those interested in standing for election,“ Gread said.

“Potential candidates will learn about what they need to do, the positions that will be decided and the roles and responsibilities that come with being an elected representative.”

Gread said Council business covered everything from transport to infrastructure, libraries to sporting facilities, emergency management to parks through to waste and environmental protection.

“Councils undertake a huge scope of work on behalf of their communities. There is an opportunity for people to make a big contribution in shaping our district, either as part of Council or a Community Board. We want to make it easy for people to understand what’s involved and encourage people to put their hand up.”

Nominations for candidates open on Friday 15 July and close at 12 noon on Friday 12 August. Postal voting papers will be sent out to all eligible voters from Friday 16 September 2022, with voting closing at 12 noon on 8 October 2022.

The Council this week launched a web page providing key information about the coming Council election.

The page waipadc.govt.nz/elections provides information on enrolling to vote and standing for Council and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available, Gread said.

To learn more visit waipadc.govt.nz/elections.