In This Guide:

  1. Our Local Body Elections Survey Results
  2. Other Survey Results
  3. Understanding Voting Systems – FPP & STV
  4. Who Can I Vote For?
  5. How Do I Vote?
  6. Mainstream Media Coverage
  7. Get Involved (Local Groups)
  8. Share a Local Body Election Meme!

VFF does not endorse any local body election candidates. Rather, we seek to provide a platform to help candidates share their position on a range of issues.

For last-minute voting help on where to cast your vote, how to get voting papers if you haven’t already or if you’ve lost them etc, or how to enrol click HERE.

1. Our Local Body Elections Survey Results

Our Local Body Elections Survey Results

(Updated daily)

VFF does not endorse any local body election candidates. We seek to provide a platform to help candidates share their position on a range of issues. Voters may choose to take this information into consideration when deciding who to vote for.

Find out where your local candidates stand on the issues that are important to you.

Click here to download the results of our candidate survey. (Last updated: 8 October 2022 10:15am)

2. Other Surveys

Other Survey Results

  1. Taxpayers union how to vote – https://howtovote.nz/

    To access survey results, you will need to enter your post code after clicking the link.

  2. Free Speech Union

    Suggestion: Check out candidate answers regarding the extension of so called ‘hate speech’ laws and their position on various free speech matters.
    Free Speech Union survey results

  3. Federated Farmers Local Elections Platform

    This is a detailed pamphlet that covers the key issues that concern Federated Farmers NZ. You can use the information contained to inform yourself on which candidates are going to support a prosperous agricultural sector and thriving rural communities. Download it HERE

  4. Policy NZ https://policy.nz/2022

     

    Suggestion: Look at candidates’ profiles for your area and their answers to questions on “Climate Change & Resilience” and “Transport”.

  5. Democracy Action NZ blog post on Local Body Elections

    This is not a survey but there is relevant information for Auckland voters and its another resource you could share with friends/family to start a conversation. View it HERE

     

     

  6. Gulf Users Group statement on Local Body Elections

    Contains information specific to voters that use the Hauraki Gulf. View it HERE

3. Understanding the Voting Systems

Voting System Basics?

Before you vote, it is helpful to know what type of voting system your council is using. There are two systems in use. Most councils use First Past the Post (FPP) while others use Single-Transferable Vote (STV).

Important: For both STV and FPP you do not need to rank all candidates!

E.g. John wants to vote in his local council elections. While there are ten candidates competing for five positions, he only knows of two candidates who support his views and values. He can vote for five, however, his best option is to only vote for the two candidates he has researched.

  • Using STV he will rank these candidates ‘1’ and ‘2,’ and
  • Using FPP he would make one tick next to each of their names.
  • In both systems, all other candidates should be left blank.

How To Vote with STV

https://www.stv.govt.nz/voting.shtml

STV is a simple system to use. You are casting a single vote, which can transfer between candidates to ensure that it is not wasted. When you vote with STV, you rank the candidates you like, in order of preference starting with your favourite candidate (1) and then your next favourite (2), and so on. You can rank as many or as few candidates as you want to, depending on how many candidates you support.

You do not need to rank all candidates!

You only need to rank the candidates you want to support. If you rank a candidate, that may help them to get elected. So don’t rank candidates if you don’t rate them!

What does the numbering do?

By giving the number “1” to a candidate, you are saying that the candidate is your number one choice.

By ranking candidates in your preferred order – 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on – you are also saying which other candidates you prefer:

if your top choice doesn’t have enough support to get in or,

if your top choice doesn’t need all the votes they received to be elected.

What else do I need to know?

For your vote to be counted you only need to write a single ‘1’. After that, the numbers you use must be in sequence and there must be only one of each number. If you make a mistake, your vote will be valid up to the point of an error – for example, if you miss out a “4” and just rank 1, 2, 3, and 5, only your first three preferences will be valid.

Sample Voting Paper

The following link takes you to an example of a voting paper. Remember, you do not need to rank all the candidates – just the ones you want to vote for.

https://www.stv.govt.nz/votingform.shtml

Single Transferable Voting (STV)

STV is being used to elect members of these local authorities:

  • Kaipara District Council
  • Tauranga City Council
  • Ruapehu District Council
  • New Plymouth District Council
  • Palmerston North City Council
  • Kapiti Coast District Council
  • Porirua City Council
  • Wellington City Council
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council
  • Marlborough District Council
  • Dunedin City Council
  • Far North District Council (1st time)
  • Gisborne District Council (1st time)
  • Hamilton City Council (1st time)
  • Nelson City Council (1st time)

Hutt City Council is also holding a poll on STV at the 2022 elections.

First Past the Post (FPP)

Under the FPP (First Past the Post) electoral system, the candidate with the most votes wins. This is a very simple method of electing candidates and is widely used throughout the world. It was used in New Zealand for Parliamentary elections up until the introduction of MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) in the 1996 general election.

Can you explain the First Past the Post voting system?

To vote using First Past the Post, voters place a tick next to the name of the candidate(s) they wish to support. In elections where one member is being elected (such as a mayoral election), FPP does not require that a candidate wins a majority of the votes, just more votes than anyone else. In multi-member elections (such as council elections), voters cast multiple votes to (potentially) elect multiple candidates to represent.

Remember: you do not need to tick all the candidates, just the ones you want to vote for.

4. Who Can I Vote For?

Our PDF Candidate Guide

(this links to all people standing for election, not just those whose values align with VFF)

Click here to download the regional lists of candidates in NZ.

Note: There are at least two links to click under each region. In order to see all the candidates in your area, you will need to click each of the links (tip: right-click to open the links in a new tab).

5. How Do I Vote?

How Do I Vote?

Have your say on who represents your community by voting in the 2022 local elections. You can vote from 16 September to 8 October.

If you already have your voting papers?

If you were enrolled by 12 August you should have received your voting papers by mail.

You need to complete these and make sure they are returned to a returning box by midday on Saturday 8 October. You can send them in by mail or deliver them by hand. But if sent by mail please ensure they will arrive in time (see below).

If you make a mistake on the form you will need to get another form to complete (see below).

If you do not have your voting papers or need new papers?

If you were enrolled by 12 August but did not receive your voting papers this may be because they have gone missing or been damaged or because you were not enrolled to vote, were on the unpublished roll, and/or have moved to a new address. In this case, you will need to request special voting papers.

  1. Check you are enrolled to vote. You can enrol if you’re 18 or older, a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident, and have lived in New Zealand for more than one year continuously at some time in your life.

  2. Visit your local council or call your local electoral officer to request special voting papers. If you call and request papers your electoral officer will send them out to you by post. But you’ll need to allow 5 working days for delivery and time to return them by hand (as there will not be enough time to post them back by the deadline for voting). We recommend you collect by hand and deposit by hand as the most reliable option.

  3. You need to be correctly enrolled by midnight on 7 October for your vote to count.

Voting closes 12pm, Saturday 8 October 2022

  1. Your voting papers must be returned by 12pm noon on Saturday, 8 October. If you are posting your papers, please allow enough time for them to reach the electoral officer before the close of voting. 

  2. If returning your papers after Monday 3 October, we recommend hand delivering them to your nearest district or city council office to ensure they make the deadline before voting closes.

  3. In Auckland we understand that Countdown Supermarkets and Council Libraries will have boxes. Other areas outside Auckland there are other drop off place but you need to check your local council website for more information.

  4. Remember: Voting papers MUST be in the voting box by midday on Saturday 8 October to be counted.

More info regarding voting papers:

https://vote.nz/2022-local-elections/2022-local-elections/about-the-2022-local-elections/

6. Mainstream Media Coverage

Engaging in Democracy

In August, Voices for Freedom caused a stir by encouraging supporters to represent their local freedom community’s perspectives and values by standing in the local body elections.  

The witch-hunt that ensued, whilst biased, unfair, and often defamatory, had the overall bonus effect of amplifying candidates who promote freedom-related issues (saving those candidates a lot of money in campaign costs!) and also served as a kind of directory for the public to whom these issues are important. It was yet another example of the media scoring an ‘own goal.’

The following is a list of news articles, or ‘hit pieces’ on various candidates arranged in chronological order by region. We encourage voters to read these stories and use them as a tool to inform their voting decisions.

Note: The articles cover only a small number of the candidates we are aware of whose values align with those of VFF.

Arrowtown

Ashburton District Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Auckland Council

4 Candidates Profiled

Carterton District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Central Otago District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Christchurch City Council

9 Candidates Profiled

Dunedin City Council

5 Candidates Profiled

Far North District Council

4 Candidates Profiled

Gisborne District Council

6 Candidates Profiled

Greater Wellington Regional Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Hamilton City Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Hastings District Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Hutt City Council

5 Candidates Profiled

Kaipara District Council

2 Candidates Profiled

Kāpiti Coast District Council

2 Candidates Profiled

Manawatu District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Marlborough District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Napier City Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Nelson City Council

3 Candidates Profiled

New Plymouth District Council

5 Candidates Profiled

Northland Regional Council

8 Candidates Profiled

Otago Regional Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Palmerston North City Council

4 Candidates Profiled

Porirua City Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Rotorua Lakes Council

4 Candidates Profiled

Selwyn District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

South Wairarapa District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Southland District Council

4 Candidates Profiled

Stratford District Council

Queenstown Lakes District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Tararua District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Tasman District Council

7 Candidates Profiled

Taupo District Council

1 Candidate Profiled

Thames-Coromandel District Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Upper Hutt City Council

2 Candidates Profiled

Waimakariri District Council

7 Candidates Profiled

Wellington City Council

3 Candidates Profiled

Whakatāne District Council

3 candidates Profiled

Whanganui District Council

2 Candidates Profiled

Whangarei District Council

2 Candidates Profiled

7. Get Involved!

Join Your Local Group Today

Come Join Us!

There’s never been a better time than now to join your local VFF group!

Sign up and stay informed about what is happening in your area. You’ll be invited (optionally) to meet up with others who cherish freedom and share your values.

Making a positive change in our communities begins with each of us getting involved.

Join Here

8. Share A Meme

Encourage others to vote this election

Often the best approach to inspire those around you to think critically is through humour.

The New Plymouth District Council recently came out with a campaign based on this theme, only, it focused on reductive, negative labels and failed to address the issues that people really care about right now.

Here at VFF we love a good challenge and we had a great time making these memes to counter the nonsense.

Save a meme or three and share them on your social media channels. Making people laugh has never felt so good!

Check out the whole campaign over on our meme page.