Standing for Council is your opportunity to shape the future of the Westland District for your whanau and your community. Local Government in New Zealand is a rapidly changing environment and it is an exciting time to be involved.
To be eligible to stand as a candidate you must be:
Persons considering nominating candidates, and potential candidates also need to know:
Prospective candidates are encouraged to read the Candidate Information Handbook that will be available in the next election period.
This will be available here or from:
You can also find information and guides on the Local Government New Zealand website.
Find out about the Elected Members' Allowances Policy here.
The Pre-election Report outlines the key issues facing the Council and the district over the coming years and profiled the Council's current and forecast financial position to assist candidates in their campaigns.
The next report will be available in 2025.
Nomination forms are available in an election period.
Local authority staff, candidates and elected members are of interest to foreign states. There are a number of reasons why they target New Zealand but one of them is to influence our democracy. They may want to steer policy making, have access to people in positions of power, gain knowledge of internal operations or get access to sensitive information.
Protective Security provides information on its website for local authorities and elected members.
Candidates standing for election to a local authority can start campaigning at any time and can continue up to and including Election Day, provided the rules set out in Local Electoral Act 2001 and the Local Electoral Regulations are complied with. For information relating to campaigning, please refer to the Candidate Information Handbook.
Westland District Council's Facebook page
The Westland District Council's Facebook page must not be used for electioneering purposes. Any post - positive or negative - made by any individual specifically relating to their own - or someone else's – nomination, intention to run for Council or election campaign, will be removed immediately.
Campaign advertising is subject to the following rules:
Candidate campaigns are subject to the following expenditure limits, based on population in each area:
Council Population | Expenditure Limit |
5000 - 9,999 | $7,000 |
Councils and government agencies have guidelines regarding putting up election hoardings in the district.
Temporary signs for Local Government elections shall not be erected more than six weeks before the event, nor remain erected more than one week following completion of the event. For the 2025 local authority elections, this means that signage can be erected from Friday 29 August 2025 and must be removed by midnight on Saturday 18 October 2025.