Stand
Being a Horowhenua District Council elected member is an opportunity for you to be part of governing our district.
Candidate nominations open on 7 July and close at 12 noon on 1 August 2025.
Who can be a candidate
To be a candidate for an elected member position, you must be:
- a New Zealand citizen
- over 18 years old
- enrolled on the electoral roll.
Enrol to vote now
You don't need any special qualifications. Elected members come from all backgrounds and walks of life.
To be effective you'll need to bring a broad range of skills to the role:
- Decision making and strategic thinking
- Communication and community engagement
- Relationship building and collaboration.
View our Skills and qualities you need to become an elected member page for further information.
What candidates need to do
You should:
- find out what's important to your local community
- learn about Horowhenua local government structure and the role of councillors, and community board members.
You can find a meeting of Council to watch online on our Live Council Meetings page.
Getting votes
Lack of knowledge about the candidates and their views is consistently reported as one of the main reasons people don't vote in local elections.
To run a successful campaign, you need to let local residents know the key issues you stand for within the community.
Regulations for campaigning
There are regulations around campaigning, including:
- how much you can spend
- how and when you can display signage.