| Election Name: | 2019 New Zealand local elections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country: | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | presidential | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Election: | 2016 New Zealand local elections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous Year: | 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Election: | 2022 New Zealand local elections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Next Year: | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Election Date: | 12 October 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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| Turnout: | 1,324,548 (42.13%) 0.67 pp |
The 2019 New Zealand local elections (mi|Nga Pōtitanga ā-Rohe 2019) were triennial elections held in New Zealand on Saturday 12 October 2019.
Key dates relating to the general election were as follows:[1]
| 1 July 2019 | Electoral Commission enrolment campaign starts. | |
| 19 July 2019 | Nominations open for candidates. Rolls open for inspection at council offices and other sites locally. | |
| 16 August 2019 | Nominations close at 12:00. Rolls close. | |
| 21 August 2019 | Election date and candidates' names publicised by electoral officers. | |
| 20–25 September 2019 | Voting documents delivered to households. Electors can post the documents back to electoral officers as soon as they have voted. | |
| 12 October 2019 | Polling day — The voting documents must be at the council before voting closes at 12:00. Preliminary results will be available as soon as possible afterwards. | |
| 17–23 October 2019 | Official results declared |
In Auckland, Phil Goff was re-elected Mayor and at least 16 of the city's 20 councillors retained their seats, with two new councillors winning seats which were vacated by retirement.[2] [3] [4] In Hamilton, incumbent mayor Andrew King lost to Paula Southgate, who previously challenged him in 2016,[5] while four controversial councillors were voted out of office. In Wellington incumbent mayor Justin Lester was unseated by Andy Foster, who received a high-profile endorsement from filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson. The election also marked the first time a Green Party member was elected to serve as a mayor in New Zealand, with Aaron Hawkins being elected Mayor of Dunedin.
According to The Spinoff editor Toby Manhire, the 2019 local elections had the lowest number of candidate nominations relative to the total number of available seats. Of the 572 local body elections held that year, 101 seats and positions were not contested while 235 candidates were elected unopposed.[6]
The regions of New Zealand are governed by regional councils as the first tier of local government.
Unitary authorities are local government entities that have the powers of both a territorial authority and those of a regional council. There are currently five unitary authorities.
The Chatham Islands have a unique, separately-legislated council that has almost all the powers of a unitary authority.
The various urban, suburban, and rural districts of New Zealand are governed by territorial authorities as the second tier of local government.
All territorial authorities (including unitary authorities) directly elect mayors.
Elections were also held for community boards, which have been set up by several of the territorial authorities under Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002 to represent the interests of particular communities within those territories.
Elections were also held for District health boards (DHBs).
These were the last elections held for the DHBs before they were disestablished on 1 July 2022 and replaced by Te Whatu Ora.
Elections were also be held for licensing trusts, which are community-owned companies with government-authorised monopolies on the development of premises licensed for the sale of alcoholic beverages and associated accommodation in an area: