A week is a long time in politics – but not long to get into politics with nominations to take a run at standing for Taranaki Regional Council closing in just seven days.
Kay McAlpine and Liesl Davidson love Taranaki. Show you care by taking a run at being a councillor.
Those wanting to take a tilt at being a councillor and sitting around the council table to make the big decisions for a region of 130,000 people must get their nomination forms in by 12 noon on 1 August.
There are 11 seats up for grabs across five constituencies. Currently nine have put their names forward with four in the New Plymouth constituency (five seats), one in North Taranaki (two seats), one in Stratford (one seat), one in the Taranaki Māori constituency (one seat) and two in South Taranaki (two seats).
Would-be councillors can put their forms in online via taranakirc.nz/stand(external link), find out more information including downloading a nomination form by clicking taranakirc.nz/how-to-stand or they can call the Council to chat about what the role entails.
Council Chief Executive Steve Ruru urged those thinking about taking a stand to get their skates on as there is a hard deadline with no submissions accepted after 12pm on 1 August.
“We welcome nominations from all walks of life and anyone over the age of 18 as we’d love to see all our communities represented and a wide range of candidates putting their hands up for this year’s local elections,” says Mr Ruru.
“Taranaki folk are rightly proud of our amazing region so if you love our corner of Aotearoa, back yourself to make a difference to the lives of our residents and get your nominations in so you don’t miss out on giving it a go.
“There are some huge decisions to be made in the next three years which will directly impact people from Waverley to Tongapōrutu. Becoming an elected member means your voice will shape those decisions.”
Councillor Charlotte Littlewood, a former chairperson of the Council who is not seeking re-election after moving out of the region, also urged people to stand.
“The regional council has so many workstreams which are vital to protecting the region’s environment. If you care about our place and having a say on how the Council does this, I’d strongly encourage you to take a stand,” Mrs Littlewood says.
“Working as a councillor can be a very rewarding role where you work together with other elected members, tangata whenua and the wider community to see tangible improvements in how we care for the environment.”
The public notice of candidates’ names will be released on 6 August. Voting documents will be delivered from 12pm on 9 September while voting closes at midday on 11 October.
For those not yet enrolled, head to vote.nz before 1 August to check if you’re on the general or Māori electoral roll.