Voter numbers are still lower than in previous elections, however, at 18.8 per cent for the entire district as of yesterday. Māori wards are still showing the lowest numbers of returns, Kapu te Rangi Māori ward being the lowest with 9.6 per cent of votes returned. At the same stage in the last election, 28.4 per cent of votes had been returned.
Te Amo-Te Kurapa said it was important for people to vote because the services provided by the council impact everyone's lives.
She has asked people in her ward why they have not voted, and many of them have told her they did not receive their voting documents in the mail.
"Then I'm watching TV, and nor had the minister (Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta) received her voting papers. So, there are some issues in our country around people getting their mail. I think there are a lot of them in Ruatāhuna that haven't received their voting papers.
"I've informed them that it's okay because they can ring the electoral roll, given them the number, and also informed them that they can do a special vote."
However, Te Amo-Te Kurapa said wider solutions were necessary to get people more engaged with local democracy.
"I know people won't like this, but why don't they just make it mandatory for people to vote? It would save lots of hassle. People like me go around campaigning, but we're also educating. The system has failed for - how many years now? And nobody's looking for a wider solution.
She is also an advocate for online voting.
"It's the 21st century. People, for whatever reasons, are either not getting mail, or their mail's wet, even when they're getting it. People get online for their WINZ, for their banking, for everything. Kuia won't have to go down to the mobile unit and do this.
"Ruatāhuna has Wifi-connected internet because we got that through Te Puni Kokiri; we've got all of that up there.
Toi ki Uta Māori ward candidate Ngapera Rangiaho said it was very concerning that voting numbers were so low.
"It's not through lack of campaigning or lack of communication," she said. "It may be that they just need a prompt, to be honest. We're going to be out and about over the weekend, so we're going to have to do something about that.
"One of the messages we've been driving through is, 'Guys, don't look at it and fill it out and leave it on your fridge'. In honesty, I think they've just got so busy that time has escaped them. We've got one week to go, so let's just get that thing off your fridge and send it in."
