Local government elections

Where to find solid advice and commentary

Local body elections are later this year. It can be hard to find solid commentary about local candidates, and even more so when they use coded language. I once unwittingly voted for a staunch anti-vaxxer as their bio in the election pamphlet referred to their ‘passion for health’ and ‘commitment to community well-being’. It wasn’t until well after the election cycle that I learnt of her very strong anti-fluoride and anti-vaccination views. Sigh. Quelle embarrassment.

So, let’s avoid that this year! To that end, below are some handy resources for checking where your local body candidates stand on key issues, and what red flag phrases to look out for:

Local Government Election Hub 2025

Paul... The Other One has put together this handy local government election hub.

They've put together a series of handy guide videos on local government, some basic info to understand the different systems in place, AND fact checked some of the flood of disinformation coming from the hard right and conspiracy pushing groups around the country. They have some great tools - and identify key phrases and content like “council watch”, “challenging councils nz”, and “ratepayer groups”. Well worth tootling about on and getting a sense of what phrases to look out for.

screenshot from website with of available tools and factsheets

They also have some fun downloadable images for use in social media conversations - a nice easy tool for pushing back in your local community group:

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And of course, let’s not forget this great documentary, which is a riveting listen:

Vote for Te Tiriti

A social media campaign that highlights Te Tiriti positive candidates standing across a range of local government elections. You can find their Facebook page here: Vote for Te Tiriti.

Andrew Judd and Taryn Utiger have a 10-part podcast called WTH Are Māori Wards? A great listen, and an excellent crash course in decolonising, debunking and demystifying information about Māori wards.

Vote Green

You can find your 2025 Green local government candidates on their website here. These are candidates who align with the Green Party’s values are are committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Check out your ACT-backed local candidates

These can be found on ACT’s website. Their focus is on slashing council services and community programs, making sure co-governance with Maaori doesn’t happen, and being as pro-petrol and car as possible.

Lastly, show up to vote!

Low voter turnout benefits conspiracy theorists and associated fringe groups - a recent article by RNZ noted decreasing voter turnout for local body elections. Dr Grant Duncan was quoted as saying:

"We don't get those little, local suburban newspapers in our letterboxes anymore perhaps and so I think people are just following local affairs less carefully. That has a flow-on affect on people's interest in being candidates or to turn out to vote."

A lack of candidates also meant voters were generally less engaged.

"We're in a vicious cycle of a lack of local news, a lack of voter participation... and also a decline in candidates willing to put their names forward, and if we don't have all of those things working together, we have an inexorable decline in local democracy,"

The graph of turnout shows steady decreases since 1989. Unfortunately this makes it all too easy for conspiracy theorists and fringe groups to gain a foothold in local body politics.