Orange Ballot Boxes Ready For Canterbury Local Elections

Tuesday, 9 September 2025, 4:11 pm
Article: David Hill - Local Democracy Reporter

Instead of hunting for a post box, people can take their voting papers to their local supermarket or library for the local elections. 

Voting runs from now until October 11. 

North Canterbury councils have placed orange ballot boxes at local supermarkets, libraries, council service centres and other community facilities. 

To find an orange ballot box, go to your local council website. 

Hurunui District Council deputy electoral officer Naomi Woodham said dropping voting papers into orange ballot boxes will save ratepayer money. 

Residents can still post voting papers back, but the orange bins have been strategically located to make it easier for people to vote, she said.

‘‘One of the biggest costs with local elections is postage costs, but we can collect the envelopes from the orange boxes and place them all in courier bags to send them into the voting centre in Christchurch.’’

Meet the candidate meetings are already under way and voting papers were due to be sent out from Tuesday, September 9.

Local government elections are your chance to vote for the people who make decisions affecting your back yard. 

Anyone in North Canterbury aged 18 years and over can vote for the mayor, local councillors, two regional councillors, and sometimes community board members in their local area. 

Waimakariri District Council deputy electoral officer Sarah Nichols said millions of voting papers are being sent out, including 49,000 in the Waimakariri district, so it may take some time for them to arrive. 

‘‘The biggest thing is, if one member of the household gets their voting papers and someone else hasn’t, just give it few a few days, it doesn’t mean they have been lost.’’

If you are not on the electoral roll, you can still cast a special vote by emailing your local council or calling in at your council’s main service centre during normal office hours until Friday, October 10, and between 9am and 12noon on Saturday, October 11. 

Local councils looks after everything from playgrounds to cycle lanes, roads, roaming pets to rubbish collection and recycling, water services, planning and managing the district. 

The Canterbury Regional Council, Environment Canterbury (ECan), looks after public transport, pest control, environmental issues, manages rivers and flood protections. 

Look out for local debates, news stories and pamphlet drops and take the opportunity to do some research on candidates as disinformation can be circulated during election times. 

‘‘Take some time to consider how you will vote,’’ Ms Nichols said. 

‘‘Do your own research and talk to candidates and ask them some questions.’’ 

The Hurunui District Council has elections in the west ward (four positions) and south ward (four), and for the new South Ward Community Board (five). 

The Waimakariri District Council has elections for mayor, in the Kaiapoi-Woodend (four), Rangiora-Ashley (four) and Oxford-Ohoka (two) wards, and for the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi (five), Woodend-Sefton (five), Rangiora-Ashley (eight) and Oxford-Ohoka (six) community boards. 

In Kaikōura, there are elections for mayor and seven council seats. ECan has elections for seven wards, including two councillors in the North Canterbury/Ōpukepuke constituency. 

Voting closes at 12noon on Saturday, October 11, with preliminary results expected on the day and the final declaration of results released by October 19. 

- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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