Positions

Waimakariri District Council has two decision-making parts: the Council and Community Boards.

Elections are held for the following positions every three years:

• Mayor (1)
• Councillor (10)
• Community Board members (24)

Council

The Council is made up of the mayor and 10 councillors. It makes decisions important for Waimakariri as a whole.
All Waimakariri voters elect the mayor, while councillors are elected by voters from the ward they represent.

Waimakariri has three wards:

• Rangiora-Ashley
• Kaiapoi-Woodend
• Oxford-Ohoka.

You can view the ward maps online.

Community Boards

Waimakariri's four community boards represent their individual areas.  Each community board has between five and eight members, elected by voters from the areas they represent. Councillors are also members of the Community Board covering their ward.
Community boards make decisions on local issues, activities and facilities, and help build strong communities.

The Community Boards are:

• Oxford-Ohoka
• Rangiora-Ashley
• Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi
• Woodend-Sefton

You can view the community board maps online.

Rangiora-Ashley Community Board representing the Rangiora and Ashley subdivisions. This board has eight elected board members and four elected Councillors. Five Board members will come from the Rangiora subdivision and three Board members will come from the Ashley subdivision. Once elected to the Board all members will represent the Rangiora-Ashley Ward.

Oxford-Ohoka Community Board representing the Oxford and Ohoka-Swannanoa subdivisions. This Board has six elected Board members and two elected Councillors. Three Board members will come from the Oxford subdivision and three Board members will come from the Ohoka-Swannanoa subdivision. Once elected to the Board all members will represent the Oxford-Ohoka Ward.

Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community Board representing the southern area of the Kaiapoi-Woodened Ward. This board has five elected Board members and two elected Councillors. All five Board members will come from Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community and once elected all the Board will represent the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi Community area.

Woodened-Sefton Community Board representing the northern area of the Kaiapoi-Woodend Ward. This Board has five elected Board members and two elected Councillors. All five Board members will come from the Woodened-Sefton Community and once elected all the Board will represent the Woodened-Sefton Community area.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) Elections

As above, you can also vote in the Environment Canterbury (ECan) elections. A total of seven councillors will be elected – four from Christchurch, three from rural districts (1 from the North Canterbury area). For more information, visit Ecan's website.

Who Can Vote

Anyone 18 years or older who is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and has lived in New Zealand for more than one year continuously at some time in their life.

How to Enrol

If you love Waimakariri and want to vote on the future of the Waimakariri District, enrol to vote so you can have a say on the people who make decisions on what happens in your community.

If you’re not enrolled to vote, visit the Electoral Commission, call 0800 36 76 56, or free text your name and address to 3076.

How to enrol as a non-resident ratepayer

Wherever you pay rates you can vote. If you own property in Waimakariri District but live elsewhere you may be able to enrol as a non-resident ratepayer elector and vote in both areas.

You can check your eligibility and enrol by visiting the Ratepayer Elector Enrolment Portal.

You can also complete and sign the Ratepayer Enrolment form and return it before Friday 1 August 2025 via one of the following methods:

• Email: nrr@electionz.com.
• Post: Ratepayer Elector Enrolments, PO Box 3138, Christchurch 8140
• In person: drop it off at the Council offices, 215 High Street, Rangiora

You can only enrol, or be nominated to enrol, once in each Council area, no matter how many properties you own in that area. For more information, visit Ratepayer Roll registration.

Special Voting

There are many reasons you would cast a special vote, including:

• Your name does not appear on the final electoral roll, but you qualify as an elector
• You have chosen to put your name on the unpublished (confidential) roll
• You have moved since the electoral roll was compiled (and have lived at your new residential address for one month or more)
• You spoilt, lost or did not receive your ordinary voting document
• You will be away from your residential address during the voting period
• You are eligible to vote for some positions in the electorate as a ratepayer elector (for a property you own but do not live in)

You will need to sign a statutory declaration when you cast a special vote. This is a legal requirement to protect voters against possible duplicate voting. The statutory declaration will be provided to the person casting the special vote, along with a special voting paper and candidate profile booklet.

Residential Electors

If you are registered to vote in parliamentary elections, you will be automatically enrolled on the local body residential electoral roll as a residential elector at the address where you live.

Find out which ward you are in.

You will receive a voting document so that you can vote by post.

Any changes to the residential roll, such as your address, should be made by:

• Calling 0800 ENROLNOW (0800 36 76 56 ); or
• Freetext 3676; or
• Visiting the Electoral Commission website.

Ratepayer electors

A Council district includes a city, district and regional council area, and a community board area.

If you are on the electoral roll in one area and pay rates on a property in another area, you may be eligible for enrolment on the non-resident ratepayer roll. This qualifies you to vote more than once in the local elections.

You may be eligible as a non-resident ratepayer elector in Christchurch City Council if both of these apply:

• You are on the district valuation roll and pay rates in the Christchurch City Council district.
• The address where you are registered on the residential roll is outside of the Christchurch city ward or community board area.

Your eligibility to enrol or be nominated may also depend on your individual circumstances as determined by criteria in the Local Electoral Act 2001 and its regulations.

An organisation can nominate one of its members or officers to vote on its behalf

If a firm, company, trust, corporation, society partners, joint tenants and tenants in common collectively pay rates on a property in a council district, one of the group may be nominated to be the ratepayer elector.

The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as a residential elector outside the council district where the property is located.

You can only enrol once

You can only enrol, or be nominated to enrol as a ratepayer elector, once in a council district, no matter how many properties you own in that council district. A council district includes a city, district and regional council area, and a community board area.

New ratepayer electors

If you have questions about whether you may be eligible to enrol or to nominate someone as a ratepayer elector, please contact the Electoral Officer elections@wmk.govt.nz

You can check your eligibility and complete an online enrolment form at Electionz.com.

If you are considering standing in this years Local Body Elections, and you have questions or queries about the process or what it is like to be an elected member, please contact our Deputy Electoral Officer Sarah Nichols for a one-on-one discussion.

Email: elections@wmk.govt.nz
Phone: 0800 965 468

Who Can Stand for Election

Anyone 18 years or older who is a New Zealand citizen (proof will be required) and is enrolled on the parliamentary roll.

WDC Candidates Handbook (coming soon)

Nomination Forms

• Mayor
• Councillor
• Community Board - Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi or Woodend-Sefton Community Board
• Community Board - Oxford-Ohoka Community Board
• Community Board - Rangiora-Ashley Community Board

Pre-Election Report (coming soon)

Signage Information

Election Billboard type signage can be erected from Saturday 9 August 2025.

Election Advertising and Authorisation on Campaign Material
Election advertising, using any media, including social media, must identify the person under whose authority they have been produced, as per sections 113-115 of the Local Electoral Act 2001. This means that for posters, adverts, signs, billboards, flyers, vehicle signage, websites, Facebook pages etc, each advertising item must include a statement saying that it is authorised by the candidate or agent. It must be included on every item of campaigning material. Please note: The Local Electoral (Advertising) Amendment Bill has been enacted. That legislation allows the address requirements of an advertisement authorisation statement to be met by providing— * a residential or business address; or * an email address; or * a post office box number; or * a phone number; or * a link to a page on an Internet site (if the page contains 1 or more of the above). The requirement to list the authorising party remains. There must be a reasonable expectation that anyone wishing to respond to the campaigning material can do so with the candidate or their agent from the contact details listed in the authorisation statement. The use of a council building address is not permitted in the authorisation address.

Section 12 of the Signage Bylaw states
Location of Election Signs 12.1 In accordance with Council's Policy S−CP 4460, no political signage is to be placed on Council−owned or leased buildings or land including the road reserve. Signs written on motor vehicles are exempt provided:
12.1.1 the stationary vehicle does not compromise the safe use of the road; or
12.1.2 does not breach any other provision of the bylaw; or
12.1.3 is displayed only in the period nine weeks preceding the local body election day; and 12.1.4 must be removed by midnight prior to election day.
Therefore vehicles with campaign signage such as “Vote” or “Re-elect” can be place on vehicles anytime, however they can not be parked in any Council owned or leased carparks such as Libraries, Service Centres, Stadium, Community Centres or Sports Grounds until 9 August 2025. Parking on the roadside is acceptable however a trailer (attached or not attached to a vehicle) with the signage on it, parked for a period of time is not acceptable.
Vehicles with election advertising must have the authorisation statement.

Temporary Signs for electioneering purposes
The District Plan provides an exemption for the display of election signs in Residential or Business Zones provided the signs are:
1. No larger than 3m2 in total display area, and
2. On display for less than two months from polling day (i.e. no signs to be erected prior to Saturday 9 August 2025) and must be taken down by midnight the day before polling day. (i.e. midnight 10 October 2025).
3. NZTA do not allow any visible signage from a State Highway site.
4. WDC do not allow signage on Council owned or leased buildings or land including road reserve. Reference to Electoral Act 2001 and NZTA Electoral Advertising Regulations 2005 and WDC Signage Bylaw 2012.

Content of election signs Queries regarding content of election signs including authorisations are to be made to the Deputy Electoral Officer. The Deputy Electoral Officer will make a candidate aware of any campaign material that does not have an appropriate authorisation. Queries regarding the placement, size, construct, size of lettering or non-compliant hoardings are to be made to Council’s resource management department. Such complaints may result in the sign being removed by Council staff.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Guidelines for Managing Electioneering Signs on State Highways
The guideline objectives are to minimise the potential for road crashes arising from drivers being distracted by indiscriminate installation of electioneering signs and to ensure consistency of application of NZTA policy on such signs with minimal involvement by NZTA. There are some fundamental considerations to make when erecting electioneering signs adjacent to state highways.

These are: In rural areas (where speed limits are 70km/h or above):
* Signs should be located off the highway reserve. You will, of course, need to consult with property owners and the appropriate local authority to gain any necessary consent.
* If the sign requires resource consent, approval will likely be required from NZTA as an affected party under Section 95 of the Resource Management Act, your local authority will be able to advise on this.
* Signs must not be reflectorised or erected in such a location that will create an obvious conflict with existing road signs.
* Signs must not imitate or be of a form similar to any traffic signs. (This is a legal requirement in terms of the Land Transport Act 2003.) * The location of signs must consider visibility and other traffic safety aspects.
* Signs must be located at least 100m from intersections, bends in the highway and from other regulatory signs
* Signs are not permitted on or adjacent to motorways.
* For the above noted safety reasons, vehicle mounted signs situated on State Highways are not permitted. In urban areas (where speed limits are 70 km/h or less) you should seek the local authority’s approval for erection of signs within or adjoining the road reserve. Signs erected on rural State highways in a location or manner likely to cause distraction or danger to road users may be removed by NZTA or its agents without prior notice. Where a sign is removed the party will then be advised of the action taken and where the sign can be collected. There may be a charge to cover NZTA’s costs.

Note that Lineside Road is a State Highway.

View the NZTA Guidance Letter here.

View the State Highway Controls and Operations Manual - Part 9: Consolidated Signs Sections

LGNZ Candidates Guide

LGNZ Safety for Candidates and Elected Members

Tax Guide for Elected Members