Source: Porirua City Council
Porirua City Council will hold a by-election to fill the seat left vacant after the sudden death of Councillor Mike Duncan.
Councillor Duncan was one of five councillors representing the Onepoto General Ward, which covers the eastern and western areas of Porirua. Due to his passing, Council is legally required to hold a by-election to fill this vacancy.
Porirua’s Deputy Electoral Officer, Jack Marshall, says at this stage of the by-election process it’s vital that potential voters make sure they are enrolled and for anyone thinking of standing to start preparing to put their name forward.
“We’re entering a crucial period for Porirua and the wider region, with big issues such as amalgamation on the table, but there are also the important local decisions needing to be made by Porirua City Council’s elected members each week,” Jack says.
“Mike is a big loss for our community, we will miss his experience and attention to detail around the Council table. His replacement will have big shoes to fill but it’s vital we have full representation in place to discuss, deliberate and make the decisions that are required for the future of our city.”
The timeline for the by-election is as follows:
Nominations open: 9 July
Nominations close: Midday, Thursday 6 August
The election will be via postal vote, with delivery of voting papers starting on 14 September
Votes must be returned by midday 16 October
Votes will then be counted and results declared shortly after.
Other Onepoto General Ward councillors at present are Hemi Fermanis, Kathleen Filo, Izzy Ford and Geoff Hayward.
Nominations documents can be found at the Council front counter on Cobham Court; the Titahi Bay, Cannons Creek and central city libraries; or can be downloaded from poriruacity.govt.nz/elections.
Candidates for the vacant seat will also have the opportunity to record a 1-minute video, outlining what they stand for, which will be put on the Council website to help voters make their decision.
To check whether you’re eligible to vote in the Onepoto General Ward, go to https://poriruacity.govt.nz/elections and use our handy ward finder.