Porirua City Council will hold a by-election on 16 October to fill the Onepoto General Ward seat left vacant after the sudden death of Councillor Mike Duncan.
Cr Duncan was one of five councillors representing the ward, which covers eastern and western parts of Porirua. Under electoral requirements, the council must hold a by-election to fill the vacancy.
Porirua’s Deputy Electoral Officer, Jack Marshall, said potential voters should check they are enrolled, while anyone considering standing should begin preparing their nomination.
“We’re entering a crucial period for Porirua and the wider region, with big issues such as amalgamation on the table, but there are also the important local decisions needing to be made by Porirua City Council’s elected members each week,” he said.
“Mike is a big loss for our community, we will miss his experience and attention to detail around the Council table. His replacement will have big shoes to fill but it’s vital we have full representation in place to discuss, deliberate and make the decisions that are required for the future of our city.”
Nominations open on 9 July and close at midday on Thursday 6 August.
The by-election will be held by postal vote, with voting papers delivered from 14 September. Votes must be returned by midday on 16 October, with counting and results to follow shortly after.
The other current Onepoto General Ward councillors are Hemi Fermanis, Kathleen Filo, Izzy Ford and Geoff Hayward.
Nomination documents are available from the council front counter on Cobham Court, Titahi Bay Library, Cannons Creek Library and the central city library. They can also be downloaded from poriruacity.govt.nz/elections.
Candidates will also be able to record a one-minute video outlining what they stand for, which will be published on the council website to help voters make their decision.
Voters can check whether they are eligible to vote in the Onepoto General Ward by using the ward finder at poriruacity.govt.nz/elections. Enrolment details can be checked at vote.nz.
Election queries can be emailed to [email protected].