The 2016 Auckland Council elections are less than a year away. If you want to be more directly involved in decisions that will help make Auckland a great place to live, then consider running as a candidate and making your ideas count.
What’s involved?
Auckland Council’s elected members include the mayor, 20 ward councillors and 149 local board members.
The mayor’s responsibilities include promoting the vision for Auckland, leading the development of regionwide plans, policies and budgets, and ensuring the council engages with Aucklanders.
The ward councillors, with the mayor, make up the governing body, which votes on region-wide plans and policies, and sets budgets, rate levels, and regional bylaws.
The local boards represent their local communities – this may involve advocating for new or upgraded facilities like libraries and community halls, allocating funding for transport improvements, and supporting local arts and culture.
Is this for me?
Elected members reflect Auckland’s diverse population. They may be students, parents, business people or self-employed.
While you don’t need a formal qualification to stand for council, to be successful you will need to be able to manage a challenging workload, stay up to date on a range of issues and make important decisions for your community.
Next steps
Your next steps are to find out more about what elected members do, whether this is for you, and what would be involved in running a campaign.
To run, you will need to submit a nomination form. Nominations open on 15 July 2016 and close on 12 August 2016.
You must be enrolled on the New Zealand Parliamentary electoral roll, and you’ll need two people to nominate you.
Get more information about Auckland Council’s elections.
