Candidate Information

Your Vote 2010

Standing as a candidate in the 2010 elections is an opportunity to become involved in Timaru District’s future in the most direct way possible.

Nominations open on Friday 23 July 2010 and close at 12 noon on Friday 20 August 2010.

Each nomination must be made on the official nomination paper available from 23 July (these can be downloaded under the Section headed 'Nominations').

Prospective candidates are encouraged to read the Candidate Information Handbook available below or from the Electoral Officer.

A guide is also available to people considering standing for election, entitled ‘Making a stand made easy: A candidates guide to local government’. The guide explains the following:

What is local government?
What does a Councillor do?
What is the nomination process?
What is the election process?

Download the guide here

Copies may also be picked up at our Service Centres (available mid-July) or contact the Electoral Officer.

Candidate Qualifications

To qualify as a candidate for election to the district council or a community board you must be:

enrolled as a parliamentary elector anywhere in New Zealand
a New Zealand citizen

To qualify as a candidate for election to the South Canterbury District Health Board, you must be:

enrolled as a parliamentary elector anywhere in New Zealand
a New Zealand citizen
not disqualified by either clause 17, Schedule 2 of the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 or section 30(2)(a) to (f) Crown Entities Act 2004.

To qualify as a candidate for election to the Geraldine Licensing Trust, you must be:

a New Zealand citizen
a parliamentary elector living inside the Geraldine Licensing Trust area.
not disqualified by Section 200 of the Sale of Liquor Act 1989.

Restrictions for Elections of Local Authorities

Restrictions for elections of District and Regional Councils, and of Community Boards:

you cannot, at the same time, be a candidate for election for more than one ward or community of the same local authority
you cannot, at the same time, be a candidate for election in the Canterbury Regional Council elections and in the Timaru District Council and its Community Board elections
no person can be elected to a local authority if he/she is concerned or interested in contracts over $25,000 in any financial year with that authority. This restriction is waived if approval from the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General is obtained. (Section 3(1) of the Local Authorities (Members Interests) Act 1968)
If you are employed by a local authority and are elected as mayor or councillor of that local authority, you must resign as an employee before taking up the position as an elected member. However, this may not apply if you're employed by a territorial authority and are elected to a community board in that authority's district.

Restrictions for elections of District Health Boards

you cannot be a candidate for more than one district health board or for more than one constituency of a district health board
but, a candidate for a district health board can also stand for Mayor, District Council, Regional Council and Community Board, subject to the above restrictions

Further detailed information is available with the nomination form and the Candidate Information Handbook.

Persons considering nominating candidates, and potential candidates should also be aware of the following:

Candidates cannot nominate themselves for office
Candidates must consent to their nomination
A deposit ($200 including GST) must be paid per issue when the nomination is lodged
To help voters identify candidates, a recent photo and a 150-word profile statement can be sent with the nomination form. The profile and photo will be published in a booklet sent out with the voting documents.
Candidates may withdraw their nomination on or before 12 noon on Friday 20 August 2010. Notification must be in writing on the prescribed form obtainable from the Electoral Officer
No candidate can be employed or assist with the conduct of the election, nor be appointed as a scrutineer of any election conducted in the District.
Deposits will be refunded to candidates, except where they poll less than 25% of the vote of the lowest polling successful candidate for FPP elections

Nominations

Candidates must be nominated by two people, both of whom need to sign the nomination form. The nominees must be on the electoral roll for the district or subdivision of the district (for example, ward, community board or constituency) in which the candidate is standing.

Candidates cannot nominate themselves for office. They can stand independently or under a party grouping or affiliation - similar to the process that political parties use in parliamentary elections.

Nominations for all positions will open on Friday 23 July 2010 and must be in the Electoral Officer’s hands at 2 King George Place, Timaru by 12 noon on Friday 20 August 2010.

Please do not leave your nomination until the last minute.

Nominators

Nominators for candidates on district councils or for community boards can be residential or ratepayer electors. Nominators of district health board and licensing trust candidates must be residential electors in the district health board or licensing trust area.

Nomination Papers

Nomination Papers are available below or can be collected from the following locations from Friday 23 July:

Timaru District Council headquarters, 2 King George Place, Timaru
Geraldine Library & Service Centre, 78 Talbot Street, Geraldine
Temuka Library, Service & Information Centre, 72 King Street, Temuka
Timaru Public Hospital Administration Building, High Street, Timaru (SCDHB only)
or by phoning (03) 687 7200

Timaru District Council

South Canterbury District Health Board

South Canterbury District Health Board (181.84 kB)

Geraldine Licensing Trust

Geraldine Licensing Trust (132.79 kB)

More Information

Detailed information booklets, to help candidates during the electioneering period, will be available to all candidates from the Council's Electoral Officer and Deputy Electoral Officer.

Phone: (03) 687 7200

Campaigning

Candidates standing for election to a local body or community board can start campaigning at any time and can continue up to and including Election Day, provided the rules set out in Local Electoral Act 2001 and the Local Electoral Regulations are complied with.

Campaign Advertising

Campaign advertising is subject to the following rules:

Advertisements are defined as anything published in a newspaper, periodical, notice, poster, pamphlet, handbill, billboard or card, or broadcast over radio or television.
Advertisements must be authorised in writing by the candidate or the candidate's agent.
Advertisements must contain a statement setting out the true name and address of the person or persons for whom or at whose direction they are published.
Campaign expenses incurred by or on behalf of candidates during the three months before polling day (the applicable period) must be included in the candidate's electoral expenses return.

Expenditure Limits

Candidate campaigns are subject to the following expenditure limits:

Position	Expenditure Limit
Mayor	$30,000
Councillor (Timaru ward)	$20,000
Councillor (Geraldine, Pleasant Point – Temuka wards)	$7,000
Community Board member (Geraldine, Temuka)	$7,000
Community Board member (Pleasant Point)	$3,500
South Canterbury District Health Board member	$30,000
Geraldine Licensing Trust member	$7,000

If you are standing for more than one position then the higher limit applies (not both combined).

Full details of the election campaigning rules are included in the Candidate Information Handbook.

Election Hoardings

Councils and government agencies have guidelines regarding putting up election hoardings in the district.

Temporary signs for Local Government elections shall not be erected more than six weeks before the event, nor remain erected more than one week following completion of the event. For the 2010 Local body elections, this means that signage can be erected from Friday 27 August 2010 and must be removed by midnight on Saturday 16 October 2010.

Download Election Hoardings Guidelines (73.53 kB)

Your District Council

TDC Contact Details

Timaru District Council
2 King George Place,
PO Box 522,
Timaru, 7940
Tel: 03 687 7200
Fax: 03 687 7209