Local Body Elections
Every three years, elections are held across New Zealand to elect mayors, councillors, community boards and other local body positions. This provides the a chance to make your voice heard and have your say in the future of the Ashburton District.
The next Local Body Elections will be held in October 2025. Election Day is Saturday 11 October, and voting will take place between 9 September - 11 October. Have you thought about standing for the Ashburton District? If elected, you could play a crucial role in our District’s future through the decisions you help make over the next three years.
Any New Zealand citizen over the age of 18 and enrolled on the parliamentary roll can stand for election and our community needs representatives of all backgrounds and walks of life. Will you answer the call and make a difference in Mid-Canterbury?
Key Dates for the 2025 Local Elections
| Friday 4 July | Nominations open. Electoral roll opens for inspection. |
| Friday 1 August | Nominations close at 12 noon. Electoral roll closes. |
| By 6 August | Public notice of candidate names and special voting places. |
| 9-22 September | Delivery of voting documents (will occur between these dates). |
| 9 September - 11 October | Voting and special voting period. Early processing period. |
| Saturday 11 October | Election Day (voting closes at 12 noon) Progress / preliminary results will be announced as soon as practicable. |
| 11-16 October | Official count and processing of special votes. |
| 16-19 October | Declaration of final result and public notice of results. |
Enrolment
If you are already enrolled as a parliamentary elector you will automatically be placed on council’s electoral roll. If you need to enrol or update your name or address details, you can:
- Visit vote.nz and use your New Zealand driver license, New Zealand passport or RealMe verified identity to enrol online
- Call free 0800 36 76 56 and ask for a form to be sent to you
If you’d like help with the enrolment forms and checking your online details, please call into Ashburton Library on Baring Square East where staff are available to assist you.
What is the Ratepayer Electoral Roll?
If you pay rates on property within our council area but live outside of the Ashburton District, you may be eligible to enrol as a ratepayer elector. A company or society paying property rates can also qualify as a ratepayer elector.
Please note that you can only enrol once in a council district, no matter how many properties you own in that area.
Your eligibility to enrol may also depend on your individual circumstances as determined by criteria in the Local Electoral Act 2001.
A copy of the Ratepayer Enrolment Form can be downloaded here or picked up from our administration office at 2 Baring Square East, Ashburton.
An organisation can nominate one of its members or officers to vote on its behalf
If a firm, company, trust, corporation, society partners, joint tenants and tenants in common collectively pay rates on a property in a council district, one of the group may be nominated to be the ratepayer elector.
The person nominating and the nominated person must be registered as Parliamentary electors at addresses outside the council district where the property is located.
Ward boundary maps
Not sure what ward you are in? See the map showing the district's wards, community board and licensing trust area
More Information
Elections are currently held for:
- One Mayor
- Five councillors to represent the Ashburton Ward
- Two councillors to represent the Eastern Ward
- Two councillors to represent the Western Ward
- Five members to represent the Methven Community Board
- Six members to represent the Ashburton Licensing Trust
- Two members to represent the Mid Canterbury Constituency of the Canterbury Regional Council (ECan)
During the 2023/2024 Representation Review, no changes were made to the district's election arrangements apart from a minor expansion of the Methven Community Board area to account for new residential growth.
See here for Elected Member Remuneration 2024-25
We are required to review and consult the community about our representation arrangements in every six years.
Our most recent representation review was held in 2023/2024 and resulted in no changes to the way local body elections function in the Ashburton District, apart from a minor expansion of the Methven Community Board area to account for new residential growth.
Find out more about the Representation Review at itsourplace.nz
For more information about enrolling and voting, including alternative language options:
- Visit vote.nz
- Visit facebook.com/VoteNZ