Everyone agrees local democracy is important, and we all want to have a say on the things that are important to us in our communities. We know our own communities best, right? Yet, if this is the case, why do we have declining voter turnout in our local body election, asks Carolyn Hamill

The recently released Electoral Review draft position paper commissioned by LGNZ and chaired by Nelson Mayor Nick Smith may have some of the answers.

As the paper says, “A participation rate of less than half of eligible voters is an existential threat to local government.”

Voter turnout in local authority elections in New Zealand has been trending down for the past three decades. However, since 2007 it has been stable at between 42-44 percent. This represents a fall in total turnout of approximately 14 percent since 1989. Over the same period, turnout in parliamentary elections has fallen by only 6.5 percent (Fig 2).

Voter turnout varies significantly between councils and tends to be higher in smaller and rural councils than larger and urban councils (Fig 3). Turnout is also higher in those councils where councillors represent a small number of residents. Whakatāne District Council voter turnout in 2022 was 45.3 percent, down from 52.1 percent in 2019. Interestingly, average voter turnout across the country is highest for Community Board members when compared to turnout for mayoral or councillor roles, presumably because voters are more likely to know the people standing.

When compared to similar countries, voter turnout in New Zealand councils is close to the middle. It’s well below countries like Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, where local governments have traditionally had a greater role with more autonomy. However, turnout in local elections is declining even in these countries.

Who votes?

Post-election surveys suggest that voters in local elections are more likely to be women than men; older or retired (although the proportion of voters under 45 is increasing while over 45 is gradually decreasing); and have lived at the same address for 10 years or more. European or Pākehā are more likely to vote than those who identify as Māori, who are then more likely to vote than those who identify as Pasifika, with the lowest participation rate being people who identify as Asian (Figs 5 & 6). In the Whakatāne District we have approximately 50 percent of the population who identify as Māori, and this constitutes a big proportion of our community who are less likely to vote.

What are the issues?

What are some of the key issues around increasing voter participation in local government? There are several identified in the Electoral Reform paper, so I’ll pick out just a few that I think are important.

The first issue is the public’s understanding of what councils do. The public’s lack of understanding of what councils do – and not seeing the work of councils as important – have been repeatedly identified as reasons why people don’t vote in local elections. The rates system can mean ratepayers have greater engagement with councils, compared to other voters. Building understanding should increase engagement with and participation in local democracy, including voting in local elections.

Local groups such as WAG, Rotary and Grey Power can all increase awareness of local issues and help with mobilising a community to vote. To help with better understanding we can improve civics education in schools, councils can promote their role and value better, and we can support the local media.

For us in Whakatāne, we’re fortunate to still have local print media through the The Beacon, as well as a Local Democracy reporter - not to mention great local radio stations. One of the many recommendations from the paper is that the Government should retain and improve the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme across Aotearoa and increase funding to a three-year cycle to encourage and retain skilled journalists.

Another key issue identified was that of voting methods.  All local elections have been conducted by postal voting since 1995. But postal voting is becoming untenable as a voting method as our postal service steadily declines.

However, there are significant security concerns with online voting, and the security risks are actually increasing with time. What to do? The recommendation for the future is that local elections should switch to a different voting method in the short-to-medium term (i.e. at the 2028 or 2031 elections) and this method should be nationally consistent.

Local elections should instead use in-person voting and make it as similar an experience as possible to parliamentary elections. There should be a two-week timeframe in which to vote with polling booths in venues where people frequently visit, like supermarkets or marae. There should also be a simpler system of voting from overseas, and appropriate accommodations for disabled voters.

One final issue raised was the move to a four-year term. New Zealand’s three-year term for local government is short by international standards (Fig 9). The Panel for the Review into the Future for Local Government recommended a move to a four-year term for local government as this would “improve members’ abilities to make decisions for the long term by providing a longer window to get things done.” LGNZ members agreed and called for the local government term to shift to four years from the 2025 elections.

LGNZ commissioned a poll testing public support for four-year terms in August 2024. This poll found that 47 percent of adults supported four-year terms, but 65 percent would support them if central government also had a four-year term.  And Parliament recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of the first reading of the Term of Parliament (Enabling 4-year Term) Legislation Amendment Bill.

This presents an opportunity to move to a four-year term for both central and local government, with elections spaced two years apart. Local government legislation should then be amended as part of a transition to four-year terms to move key planning and representation processes from a three-year cycle to a four-year cycle - including things such as the Long-Term Plan.

There is plenty more raised in the Electoral Reform draft, which is a well-written paper and where I’ve borrowed the figures for this opinion piece.  If you are interested, submissions close on April 28.  Check  it out at https://www.lgnz.co.nz/policy-advocacy/key-issues-for-councils/local-electoral-reform/

In the meantime, check you are registered on the electoral roll and encourage your friends and whānau to do the same.

Carolyn Hamill, chair Whakatāne-Ohope Community Board, Community Boards Executive Committee Zone 2 representative