Local elections: Northlanders still slow to have their say as voting deadline looms

More than 130,000 Northlanders have the right to vote in Whangārei, Far North and Kaipara during three-yearly local elections. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northland's 130,000-plus local election voters have less than 24 hours to have their say on who helms the region's councils for the next three years.

Postal voting in the 2022 local elections has now closed.

However last-minute voters can drop their voting papers into council offices across Northland until noon on Saturday.

The locations for these are found on council websites.

Progressive election results are expected to be posted on council websites from at least late Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, Kaipara District Council, Whangārei District Council and Northland Regional Council are expecting to update these with preliminary results.

Voters in the Far North might have to wait until Monday for the preliminary results.

Final confirmed results are expected between October 13-19.

Northland's local election voter returns have increased significantly in the last week.

However, results to date show the pace of voter returns is still trailing 2019 and 2016 elections.

Kaipara's voters topped Northland returns until Wednesday for the second week running with 29.3 per cent of votes in by that time.

This compared with 28.8 per cent of Whangārei voters and 24.2 per cent of Far North District Council voters.

Meanwhile, 27.2 per cent of Northland Regional Council voters had sent in their votes by Wednesday.

- WDC's 28.8 per cent voter return compared with 35 per cent of voters in 2019 and 33 per cent of voters in 2016.

- KDC's 29.3 per cent voter return by Wednesday, compared with 32.6 per cent in 2019 and 36.3 per cent in 2016.

- FNDC's voter return patterns were slightly different over these three elections. On Wednesday, 24.2 per cent of voters had their votes in. This compares with only 5.2 per cent in 2019, but 31.6 per cent of voters in 2016.

Northland electors are this year voting for three new mayors, 41 councillors and 19 community board members from among 191 candidates. The candidates are made up of 22 would-be mayors, 136 would-be councillors and 33 would-be community board candidates.

Thirty-two Māori ward candidates are vying for nine seats across Northland's four councils among these numbers.

Northland's highest voter returns until Wednesday this week were in WDC's Whangārei Heads General Ward (37.3 per cent). WDC's Bream Bay General Ward's 34.7 voter turnout next narrowly pipped NRC's Coastal Central General Constituency's 34.4 per cent voter turnout for the next highest democratic participation.

KDC's Wairoa General Ward and NRC's Coastal Central General Constituency followed, both on 31.9 per cent each and narrowly ahead of WDC's Hikurangi Coastal-General Ward with 31.6 per cent voter return until Wednesday.

Voting returns for Northland's four new Māori electoral areas have significantly increased since last week. However, all are still the bottom-ranked in their respective councils and the only Northland electoral areas with less than 20 per cent voter returns.

Māori electoral area voting returns until Wednesday this week were tracking at between 14.7 per cent and 17.7 per cent.

KDC's Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward topped voter returns at 17.7 per cent. FNDC's Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward 16.9 per cent, NRC's Te Raki Māori Constituency 16.1 per cent and WDC's Whangārei District Māori Ward trailing at 14.7 per cent voter return.

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Council general ward voting returns

For WDC, general wards' ranked voter returns were Whangārei Heads General Ward, 37.3 per cent; Bream Bay General Ward, 34.7 per cent; Mangakahia-Maungatapere General Ward, 32.1 per cent; Hikurangi-Coastal General Ward, 31.6 per cent and Whangārei Urban General Ward, 28.6 per cent.

For FNDC, general wards' ranked voter returns were Te Hiku General Ward, 28.2 per cent; Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward, 27 per cent and Kaikohe-Hokianga General Ward, 25.6 per cent.

For KDC, general wards' ranked voter returns were Wairoa General Ward, 31.9 per cent; Otamatea General Ward, 30.7 per cent and Kaiwaka-Mangawhai General Ward, 29.3 per cent.

For NRC, general constituencies' ranked voter returns were Coastal Central General Constituency, 34.4 per cent; Coastal South General Constituency, 31.9 per cent; Kaipara General Constituency, 30 per cent; Mid North General Constituency, 29.3 per cent; Whangārei Central General Constituency, 28.1 per cent; Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency, 28.1 per cent and Far North General Constituency, 27.2 per cent.