Local Elections
The next local government elections are being held later this year, on Saturday 11 October.
Candidate nominations closed on 12noon, Friday 1 August 2025.
View confirmed candidates + watch candidate videos
Upcoming Meet the Candidate events
If you live in the Tararua District, you're eligible to enrol and vote.
Which ward you vote in depends on where your property is located — Northern or Southern — and which roll you’re enrolled on (General or Māori).
If you’re on the General Roll, you’ll vote for candidates standing in your ward (Northern or Southern) and for the Mayor.
- If your property is in the North Ward, you’ll vote for candidates standing in the Northern Ward – including your ward councillors and the Mayor.
- If your property is in the South Ward, you’ll vote for Southern Ward councillors and the Mayor.
If you’re on the Māori Roll, you’ll vote for candidates standing in the Māori Ward, as well as for the Mayor.
Own property here but live elsewhere? You can still vote as a non-resident ratepayer elector. This includes holiday homes, businesses, or other properties.
The 2025 Local Election will include a Poll on Māori Wards and Māori constituencies.
The Government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024, which came into force on 30 July 2024.
This Act made several changes to the mechanisms for establishing Māori wards:
- Reintroduced the option for the community to demand a binding poll after the establishment of a Māori ward by a council.
- Requires several councils (including both the Tararua District Council and Horizons Regional Council) to hold a binding poll at the 2025 elections on whether or not to retain their current Māori wards or constituents.
Voting Paper Return Statistics
You can see the number of voting papers received back at our processing centre on the following page:
View Number of Returned Voting Papers
Key Dates and Enrolment Options
| Date (2025) | Event |
|---|---|
| May | Candidate handbook published* |
| July | Pre-election report published |
| 03 July | Public Notice of Election |
| 04 July | Candidate nominations OPEN |
| 11 July | Switching between electoral rolls suspended |
| 01 August | Candidate nominations CLOSE. Nominations close at 12pm midday, and further nominations cannot legally be accepted after this time |
| 01 August | Electoral roll closes. Special votes can be completed by voters who are not enrolled before this date |
| 06 August |
Candidate names published UPDATE: Delayed - will be published on 8 August |
| 09-22 September | Delivery of voting documents |
| 09 September to 11 October | Voting Period. Including special votes for those not enrolled |
| 11 October | Election Day. Voting closes at 12pm midday, and votes cannot legally be accepted after this time, except for individuals already inside at a voting station |
| 11 October | Progress results published (as soon as practical) |
| 16 October | Official results published |
*Published means that the information will be available on our website, and hard copies published at our Council service centres. Important information will be publicised via our social media platforms, the Antenno app, and local newspapers.
Key dates and enrolment options
We use the First Past the Post system of voting - more information on this can be found here.
Voting papers will present multiple options to voters:
- Mayor of the Tararua District Council
- One of the below three sets of candidates for the Tararua District Council:
- 4x Northern ward councillors (if on the General electoral roll and residing within the Northern Ward area)
- 4x Southern ward councillors (if on the General electoral roll and residing within the Southern Ward area)
- 1x Tamaki Nui-a-Rua Māori ward councillor (if on the Māori electoral roll and residing anywhere in the Tararua District)
- One of the below two sets of candidates for the Horizons Regional Council:
- 1x Tararua regional councillor (if on the General electoral roll)
- 1x Māori regional councillor (if on the Māori electoral roll)
- One of the below two sets of candidates for the Greater Wellington Regional Council:
- 1x Wairarapa regional councillor (if on the General electoral roll and residing in the part of the District that falls within that Constituency)
- 1x Māori regional councillor (if on the Māori electoral roll)
- One of the below two sets of candidates for the District's two Community Boards:
- 4x members for the Dannevirke Community Board (if in the Dannevirke Community Board area)
- 4x members for the Eketāhuna Community Board (if in the Eketāhuna Community Board area)
- Poll on whether the Tararua District Council should retain a Māori ward councillor, for at least the next two elections (2028 and 2031).
- Poll on whether the Horizons Regional Council should retain a Māori ward constituent, for at least the next two elections (2028 and 2031).
- Poll on whether the Wellington Regional Council should retain a Māori ward constituent, for at least the next two elections (2028 and 2031) (for those residing in the part of the District that falls within that Constituency).
- Community Trust - Masterton (for those residing within the part of the Tararua District that falls within their area )
You must be enrolled on either the Māori electoral roll or the General electoral roll in order to vote in both Council elections and National elections.
Voters should enrol by 01 August 2025 to appear on the electoral roll and cast an ordinary vote, however if people miss this date they can still cast a special vote at the Council service centres during the voting period.
Anyone of Māori descent can choose between the Māori roll and General roll, but cannot be on both. You can now switch between the Māori roll and the General roll at any time up until 3 months before a relevant election, which includes Local Council elections, National elections, and any by-elections (in your area).
Voters cannot change electoral rolls after 10 July 2025.
To enrol for the first time or to change between rolls, please visit the Electoral Commission's website here.
If you don't live within the Tararua District but you pay rates on a property here (e.g. business, second home), you can apply to enrol as a Ratepayer Elector. You can apply to enrol here:
Alternatively, refer to the below flowchart if you're unsure about your eligibility:
Check your Ratepayer Elector eligibility
The below form can be completed and submitted to Electionz (nrr@electionz.com, or PO Box 3138, Christchurch 8140).