Information for candidates

To be a candidate for an elected member position, you must be:

• a New Zealand citizen
• over 18 years old
• enrolled on a parliamentary electoral roll anywhere in New Zealand.

You do not need to reside in the area (e.g. district, ward or community board) that you are standing for. Any eligible person is able to stand for Māori or general wards – people do not need to live in the Māori or general ward they are being nominated for.

A candidate must be nominated by two electors from the ward/area the candidate is standing in.  Two people are required to nominate candidates. (Candidates cannot nominate themselves.)  Nominators must be enrolled on the Parliamentary electoral roll in the ward/area they are nominating the candidate for.

A candidate or their spouse/partner must not have concerns or interests in contracts over $25,000 with the Council.

If you are subject to a Court Order under section 31 of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988, you should take legal advice.

If a candidate is an employee of the Council, and is elected, they must resign before taking up their position as an elected member. They must also follow the election protocols in place for staff.

You don't need any special qualifications. Elected members come from all backgrounds, with diverse ideas and experiences and walks of life.

To be effective you will need to bring a wide range of skills to the role:

• Decision-making and strategic thinking.
• Communication and community engagement.
• Relationship building and collaboration.

• Before you become a candidate, learn about how the Council works and your roles and responsibilities if you get elected.
• You will be able to obtain nomination forms from 15 July.
• Complete a nomination form before 12 August 2022.
• Get two people to nominate you - they must be enrolled to vote in the area/ward you wish to be a candidate for.
• Your nominators complete the nomination form and you will need to sign it.
• Pay a nomination deposit of $200 - you may get a refund, depending on how many votes you receive.
• The nomination form, proof of citizenship, candidate profile statement and photograph (if any) and the $200.00 deposit must all be lodged together.
• The lodgement of nomination papers should not be left to the last minute.  Should the nomination paper be lodged near the end of the nomination period and be incorrectly completed or there be another problem such as ineligible nominators, there may be insufficient time for you to correct the situation and the nomination paper could be invalidated.

Council adopted a Final Proposal for the representation structure for Hastings District Council for the 2022 local elections on 14 October 2021. This proposal was referred to the Local Government Commission which hears all appeals to representation review decisions. The Hastings District Council proposal was heard on 18 February 2022. On 6 April 2022, the Local Government Commission confirmed Council’s representation arrangement. Therefore, for the 2022 elections the following representation structure will apply for the Hastings District:

1 Mayor elected by all electors of the Hastings District and 15 councillors in total, including:

12 general ward councillors elected by ward:

1 councillor for the Flaxmere Ward
7 councillors for the Hastings/Havelock North Ward
2 councillors for the Heretaunga Ward
1 councillor for the Kahurānaki Ward
1 councillor for the Mōhaka Ward

3 Māori ward councillors elected by ward (Takitimu Ward). (The Takitimu Ward covers the entire Hastings District.)

One Community Board – the Hastings District Rural Community Board - elected by all eligible electors in the relevant subdivision:

1 member for the Kaweka Subdivision
1 member for the Maraekākaho Subdivision
1 member for the Poukawa Subdivision
1 member for the Tūtira Subdivision, and
3 Council appointees (Kahurānaki Ward Councillor, Mōhaka Ward Councillor and 1 Takitimu Ward Councillor).

Voters on the general roll will be able to vote for the mayor and candidate/s for the general ward in which they reside/are enrolled to vote. Voters on the Hastings District Council general roll will also be able to vote for candidates for the HB Regional Council general constituencies: either 3 candidates for the Heretaunga-Hastings Constituency or 1 candidate for the Ngaruroro Constituency.

Voters on the Māori roll will be able to vote for the mayor and 3 candidates for the Takitimu ward.  Voters on the Hastings District Council Māori roll will also be able to vote for candidates for the HB Regional Council Māori constituencies: either 1 candidate for the Māui ki te Raki Māori Constituency or 1 candidate for the Māui ki te Tonga Māori Constituency.

All eligible voters residing in the relevant Rural Community Board Subdivision will be able to vote for one candidate for the Hastings District Rural Community Board.

All eligible voters residing in the Flaxmere Licensing Trust area will be able to vote for candidates for the Flaxmere Licensing Trust.

• Find out what is important to your local community
• Learn about Hastings District’s governance structure and the role of elected members
• Watch one of the HDC livestreamed Council meetings on the Council website to learn about the processes and meeting protocols
• Check out reports on Council & Committee agendas to gain an understanding of the issues currently facing Council
• Read the latest Hastings District Council Long Term Plan 2021 - 2031.
• Obtain a copy of the Candidate Information Handbook which will soon be available in hard copy and on the Council website before nominations open.

The role of a Councillor is a significant commitment and therefore potential candidates need to think carefully before they stand. The role includes:

• Representing the interests of the Hastings District community
• Developing strategy and policy
• Monitoring the performance of the Council against the objectives set out in the Long Term Plan
• Providing prudent stewardship of the Council’s resources
• Employing and monitoring the performance of the chief executive
• Ensuring the Council fulfils its responsibilities to be a ‘good employer’ and meets the requirements of relevant Health and Safety legislation.

• Exercise governance decision-making over the assets, finances and other affairs of the Council.
• Attend Council, Committee and Subcommittee meetings
• Attend other meetings and workshops as required
• Represent Council on joint committees and outside organisations
• Read agendas and reports
• Build relationships with key stakeholders
• Engage with the public, including attending events and public meetings and liaising with residents and community groups
• Engage in representative democracy by representing the voice of their community to address issues

The remuneration rates, the level of allowances, and the reimbursement of expenses payable to local government elected members are set by the Remuneration Authority which is a statutory body whose members are appointed by the Government. The Remuneration Authority sets the salary for the mayor and the amount of each council’s remuneration pool. 

When the newly elected Council has decided upon its governance structure, it makes recommendations to the Remuneration Authority on the allocation of salaries to various positions within the governance structure, and its policy on elected members’ allowances and expenses. The current salaries for Hastings District Council elected members (as per the Local Government Members (2021/22) Determination 2021) are:

NB:  The Council Appointees to the Rural Community Board do not receive an additional Rural Community Board salary.

The Hastings District Council Policy on Elected Members’ Allowances and Expenses 2019 can be viewed here.

You can see remuneration schedules and allowances for all NZ councils visiting the the Local Government Members (2021/22) Determination.

Regulations for campaigning are detailed in the Candidate Information Handbook. They include:

• How much you can spend for your campaign - There is a maximum limit on how much a candidate may spend on their campaign. 
• Election donations and expenses
• Authorisation of advertising
• How, when and where you can display your signs.

• Section 69 of the Local Electoral Act 2001 provides that a nomination can only be cancelled or a candidate may only retire within the period after the close of nominations and before the close of voting if they become incapacitated.