Nelson City Council

When is the next Local Government election?

Election Day is Saturday 9 October with voting closing at midday on that day.  The voting period starts on Friday 17 September.

Who is running the election?

The Electoral Officer has full responsibility for running the election.

What is the name of the Electoral Officer/Deputy Electoral Officer?

Electoral Officer – Warwick Lampp (electionz.com Ltd)

Deputy Electoral Officer – Anthony Morton (electionz.com Ltd)

What type of voting method do you use?

Nelson City uses First Past the Post (FPP).

The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board uses STV.

Who will we vote for?

• 1 Mayor
• 12 Councillors at Large
• Nelson Marlborough District Health Board, 7 members At Large

I want to be a candidate in these elections.  What do I need to do?

You must be a New Zealand Citizen and your name must be on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll.

You will need to have two people who live in the area of the election you are intending to stand for, nominate you – e.g. if you want to stand for the council, they will need to reside within Nelson City.  (Please note the candidate does not need to reside in the city)

The nominators must also be on the Parliamentary electoral roll at the address they are listed on the nomination paper (which must be in the area that they are nominating the person for).

How much will it cost me to stand?

You will need to pay a deposit of $200 GST inclusive.

Your nomination must be received by 12 noon on 20 August.

If you pay the deposit by cheque and if it is dishonoured after nominations close, your nomination will not be accepted.

If you poll more than 25% of the final quota as determined by the last iteration (for STV) or greater than 25% of the lowest polling successful candidate (for FPP elections) you will receive your deposit back.

What qualifications and experience do I need?

Nothing formal.  Elected members come from all walks of life and generally just need a will/desire to serve the community.

Does a criminal record affect a person standing as a candidate?

Usually not for city council elections. Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further

How long is the term of the elected member?

Three years

Do I need to be resident in the city, district or region I am standing for?

No, but you must be on the Parliamentary Roll and be a New Zealand Citizen

How many offices can I stand for? 

You can stand for mayor and council if you want to.  However, if you win more than one you will generally take up the highest ranked position.

You can stand for both the Nelson City Council and the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.

You cannot stand for more than one District Health Board.

I am a serving Police Officer.  Can I stand for council and continue to work as a Police Officer?

Yes

I am a serving Police Officer and I am currently an elected council member and I want to stand for re-election.  Can I?

Yes

How much can I spend on my campaign?

Mayoralty and Council: $30,000

If you stand for more than one position, the amount you can spend is the highest amount for one position.  You cannot add positions together to allow you to spend more than the limit.

All candidates are required to lodge an electoral expenses and donations return within 55 days after the results are officially notified.  If this is not done it is possible that a non return will be advised to the NZ Police.  This return needs to be made before a candidate deposit is refunded.

Where can I view the electoral roll that will be used for this election?

At the Council office and libraries

How do I enrol to vote in these elections?

If you answer YES to any of the following

• Is this your main place of residence?
• Have you lived at your current address for more than one month?
• Are you on the Parliamentary roll at an address in the Nelson City?

Then you will automatically appear on the roll that is used for these elections.

Or if ...

• This IS your main place of residence    BUT
• You are NOT or you DON'T KNOW if you are you on the Parliamentary roll at an address in the Nelson City

Then you need to complete an enrolment form for this.  You can either:

• pick one up at any New Zealand Post Shop
• you can enrol online at www.elections.org.nz
• ring 0800 36 76 56
• send your name and address to Freetext 3676

Or, if

• This is NOT your main place of residence AND
• You ARE on the Parliamentary roll at an address in another district AND
• If you own a property in this district and it is not your main residence

Then you may be able to enrol as a Ratepayer elector (refer to ratepayer enrolment advice below).

Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further.

Contact

If you have additional queries, please contact Nelson's Electoral Officer by telephone on +0508 666 004.

I am a student and spend my time in different places.  Where should I enrol?

You should enrol where you spend the greater part of your time.

I am a New Zealand Māori, do I need to enrol on the Māori roll?

Not necessarily.  If you are enrolling for the first time you can decide whether you want to go on the Māori roll or the General roll by signing the appropriate panel on the Parliamentary Elector Enrolment form.

However, if you have already made that choice you will have to wait until the next Māori Option period to change.  That will be in 2012.

How do I know whether I am enrolled?

The Electoral Enrolment Centre will be undertaking a roll update campaign for the Parliamentary Electoral roll which forms the basis of our roll for the local authority election.

This will start on 5 July 2010 and if you did not receive a letter in the post the chances are you are not enrolled or your details are incorrect.

I turn 18 on Election Day, can I vote?

Yes, but you need to make sure you have enrolled which you can do provisionally from the age of 17 and it automatically changes when you turn 18. You will also need to apply for a special vote. You can do both if you call at the Council office in Nelson.

We own a business in your area and pay rates, but we don’t live in your area – do we get a say in the local elections?

Probably, but you will need to enrol as a ratepayer elector. Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further.

Contact

If you have additional queries, please contact Nelson's Electoral Officer by telephone on +0508 666 004.

I own a property in the district but it is not my fulltime residence.  How do I get on the Ratepayer Electoral Roll?

We can send you out a Ratepayer Enrolment form.  This should be back in the hands of the Electoral Officer by 20 August 2010 and absolutely no later than 8 October 2010.  If it is after 17 September also enclose special voting papers and advise these should all be sent back together.

If it is easier you can call at (Special Voting venue) and complete the enrolment form and have your special vote at the same time.

In no case does this allow you to have two votes at the election.

Is it a postal vote and will I be sent my voting documents in the mail?

All local authority elections will be conducted by postal vote.  Voting documents will be delivered by NZ Post between Friday 17 September and Wednesday 22 September.

I got my voting documents but my partner didn’t receive theirs.

Please wait until the mail has been delivered on Wednesday 22 September.  If they are not received then please call back.

After mail delivery Wednesday 22 September:

Check the address on the printed roll to see whether correctly enrolled. If it is correct, you will need to apply for a special vote.  Electoral Officer will need to speak with the caller.

If the address is not correct, you need to complete an enrolment form for this.  You can pick one up at any New Zealand Post Shop, or I can send one out, or you can enrol online at www.elections.org.nz or ring 0800 36 76 56 or send your name and address to Freetext 3676.

Then go to the Council office in Nelson to complete a Special Vote.

Contact

If you have additional queries, please contact Nelson's Electoral Officer by telephone on +0508 666 004.

I didn’t get my voting documents so I called and got a special vote.  Now I have two documents which one should I use?

If the Issues on the original voting paper are correct use the original and destroy the Special Vote. If not, use the Special Voting paper.

I received voting documents that do not belong to me and I don’t know these people or where they have gone.

Write GNA (Gone No Address) on the envelope and put them back in the mail.

What is that barcode that I can see through the return envelope or on the front of the voting document?

It is a legal requirement to scan the barcode number to mark the roll that you have voted so we can ensure that we do not receive two votes from the same person.

How do you ensure the secrecy of my vote?

Envelopes containing a voting document can not be opened until there is a JP present.  The JP is required to sign off that the processes used by the Electoral Officer met the legal requirements.

The voter’s name is not on the voting document.

When the envelope is opened the only thing the Electoral Officer is looking for is that the vote for each election is valid.

This means that for FPP they are making sure that the voters intention is clear and they have not ticked or marked more than the number of candidates that they are electing.

For STV it is to make sure that no preference numbers are used more than once or omitted, eg, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, and that the rankings start with a number one.

Do I have to vote?  I don’t know any of these candidates

No you don’t have to vote.  You also don’t have to vote for all candidates or for all elections.  But your vote is important because the people elected will be responsible for making decisions about what happens in your community for the next three years.

To help you get to know more about the candidates:

• There are candidate meetings being held if you wish to go and hear what policies the different candidates are advocating for.
• Additionally there is a candidate profile booklet that comes out with the voting documents in which there is a photo and a statement from candidates

Do I have to post my voting document back?

You can post them but make sure you have them in the mail by Wednesday 6 October to make sure they get back to us in time (by 12 noon Saturday 9 October)

However, you can also deliver to our voting box at the Council office until 12 noon Saturday 9 October)

I have lost my return envelope.

You can use an envelope of your own and put the return address on which is The Electoral Officer, Nelson City Council, PO Box 77034, Orchard Rd, Christchurch 8154 – Freepost No. 165185.

I am on the Unpublished Parliamentary roll and I want a special vote please.

Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further

I didn’t receive my voting paper, how do I obtain a special vote?

If you are you on the parliamentary roll for the address you want to vote for, check the printed roll including the ratepayer roll to ensure they were included in the mail file and that they are correctly enrolled.

If you are not or don't know if you are on the parliamentary roll for the address you want to vote for, check the printed roll including the ratepayer roll.

Their main residence

If not enrolled or not enrolled correctly advise they need to complete an enrolment form for this.  You can pick one up at any New Zealand Post Shop, or I can send one out, or you can enrol online at www.elections.org.nz or ring 0800 36 76 56 or send your name and address to Freetext 3676.  This form needs to be with the Registrar of Electors before COB Friday 8 October.

Ratepayers  - not main residence

If not enrolled send out an application for Ratepayer enrolment with a stamped addressed envelope for return.  It must be in the hands of the Electoral Officer by COB 8 October.

In both instances they will need to have a special vote from the Council officer in Nelson.

I spoiled my voting documents / I have made a mistake on my documents.  What can I do?

If you can amend it so that your voting intention is clear then do so and initial the changes.

However we can issue you with another voting document if you would rather.

Where can I have a special vote?

At the Council office in Nelson

I am going away and will not be here when the voting documents are posted out.

Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further

Do I have to vote for all the candidates  for any issue?

If I don’t vote for all the candidates or all the issues on my voting document, will all my votes be informal?

Under FPP you can vote for as many candidates as you want but not more than the instruction states on the voting document.  So if you are electing 3 councillors then you can vote for up to three candidates.

With STV you can vote for all or as many candidates as you wish but these must be in order of your preference

You can decide not to vote for one or more of the different elections on your voting document.  This does not invalidate all your other votes.

Why have some issues on my voting documents been voided?

You are only entitled to vote for any issue once and only for 1 District Health Board no matter how many different areas you live in.

My husband’s paper and mine are different.  He has more/less things to vote for.  His list of candidates is different to mine?

The order of candidates will be different because they are deliberately listed in random order. You should have the same candidates on your voting paper as your partner.

If not this reason, then contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further.

I have received two voting documents

Contact the Electoral Officer asap. Ph 0508 666 004

Do all the staff working on the election know who I voted for?

No, your vote remains secret under the required roll scrutiny and counting procedures.

Can I help someone fill out their voting documents?

Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, you cannot interfere or influence any person as to how they can vote.

If authorised by a voter who is physically impaired, visually impaired or for whom English is a second language, a person can assist them to vote as directed by the voter.

What happens to all the voting documents after the elections?

They are delivered to the District Court and kept for 21 days so that the Court can access them should there be any application for recount or petition for inquiry.

After 21 days the court is responsible for destroying them.

Do I get a vote for the DHB?

Yes, if you are a resident elector.  Ratepayer electors cannot vote for DHB elections.

Please note that DHB elections are conducted under STV and so you will exercise your vote by ranking your preferred candidates.

What is STV and how do I vote in an STV election?

STV stands for Single Transferable Vote.  STV is a preferential system of voting where you can rank as few or as many candidates as you like.  It is a single vote which can be transferred between candidates to ensure the vote contributes to the election or a least one candidate and is not wasted.  If a popular candidate does not need all the votes he or she receives, a proportion is transferred to the voter’s next preference.  On the other hand, if a candidate is not popular and receives few votes, those votes are transferred to a voter’s next preference.

For more information about STV go to www.stv.govt.nz.

To exercise a STV vote, start by writing the number 1 in the box next to the candidate you most want to be elected.  Write the number 2 next to your second most preferred candidate and so on 3, 4, 5 etc.

You can write as many preferences or as few as you like up to however many candidates are standing for that election.

You must write the number 1 for your vote to be counted.

Do not write the same number more than once, eg, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, and do not miss a number from your preferences, eg, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

What about FPP?

This is the First Past the Post voting system.  The candidate or candidates that gets the most votes wins.

You should mark those you want to vote for with a tick in the circle.  Do not vote for more than the number of candidates shown in the instructions.

When will we know the results of the election?

Progress and preliminary results will be announced as soon as possible after 12 noon on Saturday 9 October.

The official results will be announced when special votes have been checked. This is likely to be on Thursday 14 October.

How will I find out?

Candidates

Will be advised as soon as possible after Progress or Preliminary results are known.  This may be by email or phone.

The voters

Progress or Preliminary Results will be released to the media and placed on our website as soon as possible after noon on Saturday 9 October.

For all council election results, go to Local Government Online – www.elections2010.co.nz.

What do I need to do if I want to challenge the results of the election?

Contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further.

When do elected members take up their roles?

Elected members take up office the day after the official result has been declared.  However, they cannot act until they have sworn the oath of office which is usually at the first meeting of council.  This first meeting is usually held as soon as practicable after the final election results are known.

DHB board members take up office 58 days after election day (6 December).

Who are elected members responsible to?

Ultimately the elected members’ final responsibility is to the local community.  The Minister of Local Government and the Auditor–General do have a role in ensuring that councils follow the law.

All DHB board members are accountable to the Minister of Health.

Do elected members get paid and if so how much?

This is set by the Remuneration Authority.  Some expenses are also reimbursed.

DHB board members are paid on the basis of the Government’s Fees framework.

Would being an elected member take up much time?

The time commitment varies depending on the role and the size of the local authority/community you are representing.

Generally the Mayoralty is a full time job, and councillors are about 15-30 hours per week

DHB board members are remunerated on the basis of 60 days work each year

How many elected members are there?

One mayor and 12 councillors

I have a complaint about Electoral signs.

For any of the following queries, contact the Electoral Officer to discuss further.

• The signs don’t have the required authorisation on them.
• The signs have been pulled over.
• The signs are bigger than they should be.
• What locations can signs be erected?
• When can they be erected and when must they be pulled down?

Contact

If you have additional queries, please contact Nelson's Electoral Officer by telephone on +0508 666 004.