Local election nominations now closed

Local election nominations for Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) closed today at noon and every seat will be contested following a surge in nominations in the final two days.

There are 16 roles available, including the position of Mayor, 11 Councillor positions, and four Community Board Members. Some nominees put their names down for more than one role.

• There are six candidates for the position of Mayor.

• There are six candidates for the Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward, which has three seats.

• There are nine candidates for the Queenstown-Whakatipu Ward, which has four seats.

• There are eight candidates for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward, which has four seats.

• There are seven candidates for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board, which has four seats.

QLDC’s Electoral Officer Jane Robertson had a busy morning dealing with a last-minute rush of nominations.

“We now have plenty of candidates and that’s really pleasing.”

Ms Robertson said the focus would now be on encouraging people to vote with a big campaign by QLDC kicking off soon, including a competition for young adults to design a poster to increase voter participation.

“We strongly encourage people to learn about the different candidates and what they stand for. There are upcoming candidate debates, hosted by organisations such as Ignite Wānaka and the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce, which we will list on our QLDC Facebook page,” she said.

A person can vote in the elections if they are:

• 18 years or older AND

• a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident AND

• have lived in Aotearoa New Zealand for one year or more continuously at some point.

Voting papers will be sent in mid-September for their return by Saturday 8 October.

Special votes are available to people who are not enrolled but qualify to vote, for people who did not receive voting papers in the mail, or whose papers have been spoilt or damaged, and for those whose name appears on the unpublished electoral roll.

A person can make a special vote by popping into the QLDC Wānaka office at 47 Ardmore Street, or the Queenstown office at 10 Gorge Road between Friday 16 September and Saturday 8 October.

Ms Robertson was also the Returning Officer for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward of Central Otago Health Inc. Leigh Overton was the sole candidate for the seat so will be declared elected.

ENDS|KUA MUTU.

Media contact: communications@qldc.govt.nz or call 03 441 1802.

FURTHER INFORMATION | Kā pāroko tāpiri:

Candidates for the position of Mayor

• Al Angus

• Glyn Lewers

• Jon Mitchell

• Daniel Shand

• Neeta Shetty

• Olivia Wensley

Candidates for the Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward (three seats)

• Danijel Duvnjak

• Craig (Ferg) Ferguson

• Lisa Guy

• Nell Hunter

• Neeta Shetty

• Melissa White

Candidates for the Queenstown-Whakatipu Ward (four seats)

• Gavin Bartlett

• Stevey Chernishov

• Tony Dorner

• Niki Gladding

• Peter Newport

• Claire Turnham

• Mary Weston

• Esther Whitehead

• Matt Wong

Candidates for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward (four seats)

• Barry Bruce

• Olly Burke

• Lyal Cocks

• Ross McCarthy

• Daniel Shand

• Quentin Smith

• Cody Tucker

• John Wellington

Candidates for the Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board (four seats)

• Barry Bruce

• Lyal Cocks

• Chris Hadfield

• Emily Rose Hay

• Linda Joll

• Simon Telfer

• John Wellington