Nominations open this week for local election candidates

Published on 01 July 2025

From this Friday 4 July, nominations will open for Whanganui’s 2025 local elections – and the council is encouraging anyone ready to stand up and be counted for our community to put their name forward.

The elections, set for Saturday 11 October, will decide who will be the district’s Mayor, councillors, and Whanganui Rural Community Board members.

The council’s democracy services manager, Anna Palamountain, says that while there are a few important steps involved in putting your name forward to run for council, it’s simpler than you might think.

“You don’t have to be an expert or have a certain background – local government works best when people with all sorts of perspectives and life experiences get involved. If you think you’ve got what it takes to make a positive difference in our community, we’d love to hear from you.”

“To get your name on the ballot paper, you just need to do a few things:

• Fill in a nomination form (available from the council or on our website) and get it to us by 12 noon, Friday, 1 August
• Pay a $200 deposit per role (this gets refunded if you get more than 25 percent of the final quota)
• Be nominated by two people who are enrolled in the Whanganui District.”

Those wanting to stand in the new Māori Ward will need to be nominated by people on the Māori electoral roll.

Palamountain says her team is happy to help anyone who’s curious about the process, but she also has an important word of advice.

“If you’re not sure where to start, just give us a call. We can answer any questions and help guide you through the process. But please don’t leave it until the last minute – nominations absolutely must be in before 12 noon on 1 August. Even if you’re only a few minutes late, the rules don’t allow us to accept them, so it really pays to get everything sorted early."

Candidates can also provide a 150-word profile statement, a recent headshot photo, and record a 90-second video introduction.

“Just remember, your photo needs to be a clear head and shoulders shot of you – no pets, no kids, no holiday snaps – think passport photo, but a bit friendlier!”

All candidate information will be published on the council website so voters can get to know who’s standing.

For more details, including nomination forms and key dates, visit whanganui.govt.nz/vote