Mangawhai Matters: Hundreds cannot vote in the upcoming KDC-NRC election

27 June, 2020

How to get on the electoral roll
Are you one of the hundreds of Mangawhai holiday-home owners who are not enrolled to vote in the Kaipara District Council (KDC) elections in October this year? If this is the case, then you are giving up your democratic right to vote at a critical time in our town’s history.

You need to enrol soon so you can vote
The upcoming development at Mangawhai Central, the District Plan and where future development will be sited, as well as ongoing important decisions around infrastructure (including schools, parks, wastewater, civic amenities and harbour use) are all issues facing Mangawhai over the next decade.

For the first time Mangawhai and adjacent Kaiwaka has three councillors representing the area known as the Mangawhai-Kaiwaka ward. You will be voting for three councillors who comprise one-third of those sitting at the council table following the local body elections in October.

You will also be voting for a new mayor as the incumbent Jason Smith has indicated he will resign in October and stand for the Northland seat for National at the next election.

What happens when you buy a property in Mangawhai?
You will only be automatically enrolled as a KDC/NRC elector if your Mangawhai property is listed as your primary address when national elections are held.

If your purchase is for a holiday home or rental property, and you remain on the parliamentary roll elsewhere, you will not automatically be added to the KDC roll for local body elections. In this instance you will not be able to vote in the Kaipara or NRC elections.

To become eligible to vote, you must fill in what is known as an “Enrolment Form for Ratepayer Electors” and send it to the Electoral Office at the Kaipara District Council. A PDF version of this form that must be filled in and submitted to the Electoral Officer at the Kaipara District Council can be downloaded from our website mangawhai.matters.com.

The form requires thought and time to complete, is in three parts over two pages. In essence the form requires joint property owners or trustees of a Trust to nominate one person only to vote, then get approval from the other joint property owner(s) or Trustees.

Alternatively you can elect your Mangawhai address as your primary home on the national electoral register.

Phone assistance is available in completing the form from Election Services, a private company assisting local councils with enrolment and elections. Call toll free 0800 ENROL NOW (0800 36 76 56).

If you have any questions about enrolment or the upcoming local body elections, please write mangawhaimatters@gmail.com and we will get you answers as quickly as possible.
 

Statistics on eligible voters
At the 2019 election, it was estimated by KDC that only 86.27 percent of those eligible to be enrolled had their names on the electoral roll. With more second homes and new houses in Mangawhai than any other area of Kaipara, that could indicate that at least 500 eligible voters are not on the electoral roll.

Earlier this year KDC sent letters to 11,000 property owners encouraging them to get on the roll if they are eligible. We do not have a success rate available for that campaign.

Percentage voting history

Only between 43 and 49 percent of those eligible voted in the 2019 Kaipara District Council elections. The Mangawhai-Kaiwaka ward vote was only 37 percent, but it must be remembered that this was not a vote for councillors (as only two stood for two positions), only for Mayor.

Nevertheless, these are appalling statistics and indicate more than half the eligible population was not engaged with what was happening in their own town. There is so much happening here that we need an engaged population if we want to influence the environment we live in.

Some dates to put in your diary

· Friday July 15: The current Electoral Roll is open for inspection to check if your name in on the roll. Also, nominations for Mayor and for the three Mangawhai-Kaiwaka ward councillors open.

· Friday August 12: Nominations for candidates closes at 12 noon.

· Monday September 12: Electoral Officer certifies final Electoral Roll. You have until this date to make sure your name is on the roll if you are eligible to vote.

· Election Day is Saturday October 08, although eligible voters can vote by mail from September 16.