Western Bay District Council pushes for greater voter engagement in 2025 elections

With local government elections set for 11 October 2025, Western Bay of Plenty District Council is actively encouraging more residents to vote — and more to put their hand up as candidates. The 2022 elections saw just 37.6 percent of eligible voters participate, a figure the Council is hoping to improve on significantly.

This year's elections bring some of the most significant structural changes to the Council in decades. Councillor numbers will drop from 11 to nine, a new Waka Kai Uru Māori Ward will be introduced, and community board subdivisions will be redrawn for fairer representation across the rohe. Most residents will have three votes: one for Mayor, one for their Ward Councillor(s), and one for Community Board members. Residents of Matakana and Rangiwaeau Islands are the exception, voting only for Mayor and Ward Councillor(s).

To support participation, the Council plans to release 90-second candidate introduction videos, place orange voting bins in accessible community spots, and launch a new digital pre-election dashboard. Deputy CEO and strategy and community general manager Rachael Davie says the goal is to create space for kōrero and make it easier for everyone to get involved. More information is available at yourplace.westernbay.govt.nz/elections.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).