Nominations for the 2022 Local Body Elections, for the Horowhenua District Council closed today at noon with 28 candidates putting themselves up for election for 18 roles.

The make up of Council this triennium is one mayor, 12 councillors (10 General Ward councillors and two Māori Ward councillors) and five Te Awahou Foxton Community Board members.

Monique Davidson, Council's Chief Executive, says “I encourage voters to learn more about candidates' aspirations before voting. Now is the time to make sure that you’re represented around the table. We need Elected Members who are passionate about Horowhenua, who can proactively represent our diverse communities. Make your voice heard and vote for the people who can unite the district while making the hard decisions, creating a future we can all be proud of.”

The 2022 candidates are:

Mayor
Sam Jennings, Victoria Kaye-Simmons and Bernie Wanden.

Kere Kere General Ward
David Allan, Ross Brannigan, John Girling and Brett Russell.

Miranui General Ward

Robert Ketu and Paul Olsen.

Levin General Ward

Mike Barker, Clint Grimstone, Sam Jennings, Athol Kirk, Jane Masoe, Veronica Pitt, Kelly Tahiwi, Piri-Hira Josephine Tukapua, Carl Van Den Berg, Alan Young.

Waiopehu General Ward

Barry Aylward, Rogan Boyle and Jonathan Procter.

Horowhenua (Māori) Ward

Nina Hori Te Pa, Troy O’Carroll and Justin Tamihana.

Te Awahou Foxton Community Board
Trevor Chambers, Nola Fox, John Girling, David Roache, Brett Russell, Lindsay Sanson and Justin Tamihana.

Three mayoral candidates have put their names in the hat, being Sam Jennings, Victoria Kaye-Simmons and Bernie Wanden. Victoria Kaye-Simmons and Bernie Wanden only seek the Horowhenua mayor seat and are not contesting a ward seat.

Voter packs with more information on the candidates and voting papers will start arriving in letterboxes from Friday 16 September.

You can post your voting papers but make sure you have them in the mail by Wednesday 5 October 2022 so they get back to us in time (by 12 noon on Saturday 8 October 2022).

You can also place your voting papers in one of our voting boxes, located at our HDC Civic Building (126 Oxford Street, Levin), Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom (92 Main Street, Foxton), Shannon Library (Plimmer Terrace, Shannon) until 12 noon on Saturday 8 October 2022. Additional locations for voting boxes across the district are currently being identified.

We’ve prepared a Pre-Election Report that is politically neutral and transparent on topics ranging from our financial performance to what we’ve achieved, and the major challenges and exciting opportunities Horowhenua will face over the next three years. Empower yourself by reading our Pre-Election Report and learn more about the issues affecting our rohe. Electronic copies are available on horowhenua.govt.nz/Elections, with hard copies available at all Council service centres.

© Scoop Media