Whangārei Heads' Patrick Holmes was elected as the new WDC councillor in the region's highest voter turnout. Photo / Tania Whyte
Whangārei Heads' Patrick Holmes was elected as the new WDC councillor in the region's highest voter turnout. Photo / Tania Whyte
By Susan Botting - Local Democracy Reporter for Northland
Whangārei Heads residents have achieved Northland's highest local election voter turnout.
Almost 3000 people in the Whangārei Heads General Ward voted in their new Whangārei District Council candidate Patrick Holmes in a 55.2 per cent voter turnout from among 5364 electors.
Former Whangārei Heads resident of more than 30 years and nine-year WDC councillor Robin Lieffering said the area had always been very interested in exercising its democratic right to vote.
Lieffering chaired two Whangārei Heads General Ward meet the candidates meetings at Parua Bay ahead of this year's local elections, of which about 150 people attended.
Former WDC councillor and longtime Whangārei Heads resident Robin Lieffering. Photo / Imran Ali
A second Northland electoral area is the other where at least half its voters had their say.
Northland Regional Council (NRC)'s Coastal Central General Constituency saw 7783 people or 50.5 per cent of its 15,404 eligible voters re-electing Amy Macdonald.
These two electoral areas were the only ones from among 22 across Northland with at least half the voter population having its say on representatives for 14 district council wards and eight regional council constituencies.
Sixteen of the electoral areas had between 40 and 50 per cent voter turnouts. One had between 30 and 40 per cent - and also Northland's highest Māori ward vote - FNDC's Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward on 30.6 per cent
Three electoral areas had voter returns between 20 and 30 per cent – all Māori electoral areas.
At least 40 per cent of voters across each of Northland's four councils had their say.
Amongst councils, Kaipara had Northland's highest voter turnout with 7775 people having their say - 44.2 per cent of the council's 17,589 electors. WDC had Northland's second-highest turnout with 28,390 people or 42.4 per cent. FDC voters achieved a 40.6 per cent voter turnout with 19,196 voters
NRC saw a 42.3 per cent voter turnout with 55,743 people having their say.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
