This morning (24 August 2023) the Local Government Electoral Bill had its third reading in Parliament which means it will be passed into law in the next week or so.
Representation review date changes
The Bill will bring forward the dates relating to:
- Polls on electoral systems, and
- The representation review process.
Also, councils will have a greater period of time to consider submissions on their initial representation review proposal and to resolve its final proposal.
Detailed guidance about the date changes will be provided by Taituarā and the Local Government Commission after the legislation is fully passed.
Auckland Council
Auckland Council will move to having the same requirements on numbers of elected members as other territorial authorities, i.e., not fewer than six members nor more than 30 members, including the mayor. Its current legislation is that it have 20 members plus the mayor.
The Bill also simplifies Auckland Council’s process for changing local board boundaries.
Māori wards and constituencies
The Bill changes the process councils follow every six years when they make decisions on Māori ward representation. These changes will not come into effect until after the 2025 local elections.
Electronic nominations
The Bill amends the Local Electoral Act 2001 to clarify that people may be able to submit their nomination documents electronically providing the electoral officer consents to the process.
Updating the process for tied elections
The Bill makes a recount mandatory when election results are tied, and introduces an alternative to a coin toss if an election is still tied after a judicial recount. Candidates will be able to withdraw if they do not want the final result to be decided by lot.
