2024 Tauranga mayoral election
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The 2024 Tauranga mayoral election is to be held to elect the Mayor of Tauranga. It is the first election since the Minister of Local Government appointed a Crown Commission on 9 February 2021 to oversee all of Tauranga City Council's governance responsibilities.
The election will be held using a Single Transferable Vote system.[1]
Background[edit]
The last mayor, Tenby Powell, was elected to the office in October 2019 but resigned in November 2020, eight months after he was unanimously censured by his council for an angry outburst.[2][3] Following further mayoral "outbursts,"[4][5] Powell publicly called for the Minister of Local Government to appoint a commission to replace the "dysfunctional" council.[6][7] The decision to cancel the election for a new mayor and councillors, and the appointment of a crown commission instead by Local Government minister Nanaia Mahuta was not without controversy. A legal opinion by law firm Russell McVeagh found her decision may have been "unlawful"[8] and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges called the decision "dramatic and draconian",[9] while saying that Powell quitting removed "a significant source of friction" and it was reasonable to assume the council would become more functional with the election of a new Mayor and Councillors.[10]
The 2022 local elections were cancelled by the government and the commission remained in place until an election for members of the Tauranga City Council to be held on 20 July 2024. Additionally, the Minister also decided to postpone the 2025 local election in Tauranga until 2028.[11] The council elected in 2024 will thus serve a four year term, a first for New Zealand.[12]
Key dates[edit]
Key dates for the election are:[13]
- 19 April: Last day to switch electoral roll.
- 26 April: Nominations opened for candidates.
- 24 May: Nominations close.
- 29 June–3 July: Voting papers delivered.
- 29 June: Special voting begins.
- 20 July: Polling day. Voting documents needed to be at council before voting closes at 12 noon. Preliminary results available as soon as all ordinary votes are counted.
- 23–25 July: Official results, including all valid ordinary and special votes, declared.
Candidates[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Elections 2024 > Information for voters". www.tauranga.govt.nz. Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "'I made a mistake': Tauranga mayor told to apologise for 'outburst'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "SunLive – Mayor to apologise for "bullying comments" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell in informal meeting". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ "Tauranga mayor's profanity-laced flip-flop over quitting". Stuff.co.nz. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Shand, Matt (20 November 2020). "Tauranga mayor resigns, calls for commissioner to be appointed". Waikato Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020.
- ^ "Tauranga mayor's shock resignation: Tenby Powell calls for Government to step in". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ "SunLive – Commissioners appointment labelled "unlawful" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- ^ Motion, Samantha (25 November 2020). "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
- ^ Motion, Samantha (25 November 2020). "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council". Bay of Plenty Times.
- ^ "Dates for the Tauranga City Council Election in July 2024 and the Following Election". New Zealand Gazette. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Evans, Alisha (1 February 2024). "Tauranga City Council election: Four-year council term a first for New Zealand". Bay of Plenty Times. New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Elections 2024". Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
- ^ McConnell, Glenn. "Tauranga's star studded return to democracy". www.stuff.co.nz. Stuff. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ Evans, Alisha (26 April 2024). "Tina Salisbury to run for Tauranga mayoralty". SunLive. Retrieved 30 April 2024.