Vote

Local elections are your chance to have your say about who represents you on council. Your regional council makes decisions about many important things that impact your daily life – from environmental protection and public transport to flood management and regional development.

Local elections will be conducted by postal vote from Tuesday 9 September 2025 to Saturday 11 October 2025.

Voting is easy and is done by postal vote. Just make sure you're enrolled, learn about your candidates, and return your voting papers on time.

You can vote in the 2025 local elections if you are:

  • 18 years or older
  • A New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
  • Have lived in New Zealand continuously for 12 months or more at some point in your life
  1. Check your mailbox – voting packs will be delivered by NZ Post between Tuesday 9 September 2025 and Wednesday 22 September 2025.
  2. Read the instructions and candidate information.
  3. Mark your choices clearly on the voting paper.
  4. Seal your vote in the pre-paid envelope provided and post it back.

Tuesday 7 October 2025 is the last day for posting your vote by mail. After this date, you’ll need to hand-deliver your voting papers to one of the secure ballot boxes across the region by close of voting at noon on Saturday 11 October 2025.

There is no online voting option.

In this election, you’ll vote for:

  • Northland Regional Council – your regional councillors
  • Your local district council – mayor and ward councillors
  • Whether to keep or remove the Māori constituency at Northland Regional Council, and the Māori ward, if you are voting in the Far North or Whangarei districts.
Find out more about the poll on Māori constituency seats open in this tab open in this tab

Candidates are announced on 6 August 2025.

Ways to get to know the candidates:

  • a candidate profile booklet is sent with your voting documents
  • candidate information will be available on our website after nominations close
  • local interest groups may host candidate meetings, where candidates discuss their policies - keep an eye out on social media
  • candidates may have their own website page, social media page(s), advertise in local newspapers or send out information to letterboxes in your area
  • local newspapers are likely to cover information about the election

Find your constituency

Your constituency determines which candidates you can vote for in the regional council elections.

Northland has seven general constituencies and one Māori constituency. If you're on the Māori roll, you'll vote in the Te Raki Māori constituency. If you're on the general roll, you'll vote in one of the general constituencies based on where you live.

Use our interactive tool to search by your address.

Find my constituency open in new tab open in new tab

You may be eligible for a special vote if:

  • You enrolled after 1 August 2025
  • You didn’t receive your voting pack
  • Your voting papers were lost or damaged
  • Your name is not on the final electoral roll but you believe you’re eligible

 To request a special vote, you can:

  • phone the electoral office on 0800 922 822
  • visit a council service centre.

Northland Regional Council uses the FPP (First Past the Post) voting system.

 When voting this way, the candidate or candidates that get the most votes win. When voting in a FPP election you should mark those you want to vote for with a tick in the circle. Do not vote for more than the number of candidates shown in the instructions.