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Inner city parking changes are now live.

New street meters, virtual meters and the PayStay app. If you’re working in town – get a permit. Click here to find out what’s changed before you park. 🚗

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Vote

How to vote

Local elections are done by postal vote. Voting papers are sent out to everyone on the electoral roll at the beginning of the voting period.

Where to vote

You can return your vote by post at any post box or by dropping it into one of the special orange voting bins placed around the district. A list of voting box locations will be posted throughout the election period.

Who can vote

To vote in Rotorua local elections, you must be:

  • Aged 18 years or older
  • A New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
  • Live in Rotorua or own property here
  • Enrolled on the General or Māori electoral roll.

Accessible voting support

A new telephone dictation voting service for disabled voters is now available to eligible voters. The service is provided by Electionz.com.

Special voting

Special voting is available during the voting period of a local election for:

  • Anyone who spoils, loses, or does not receive their voting paper
  • Electors on the unpublished roll, or electors who enrol after the cut-off date

Special votes can be made at designated special voting pop-ups, Council’s Civic Centre, 1061 Haupapa Street, Rotorua or can be posted out.

All the stuff council does

How Council impacts your life

Council’s job is to keep Rotorua running smoothly and to make it a great place to live, work and play.

We’re responsible for water quality and access, playgrounds and parks, the library, dog registration, rubbish and recycling, civil defence and emergency management, building and resource consents, improving infrastructure - the list goes on!

Why voting is important

Voting in local elections is your chance to have a say in how the district is run. The elected Mayor and Councillors make decisions that will impact life in Rotorua for you, your whānau and community, and future generations.

Local elections are held every three years, where the people of Rotorua get to vote for their Mayor, 10 Councillors, four Rural Community Board and four Lakes Community Board members.

About the voting method in Rotorua

Rotorua Lakes Council has a Te Ipu Wai Auraki / General Ward, a Te Ipu Wai Taketake / Māori Ward and a Te Ipu Taiwhenua / Rural Ward.

In Rotorua, we use the First Past the Post (FPP) voting system, where the candidate with the most votes wins.

Our Council is made up of one Mayor, three Māori Ward Councillors, six General Ward Councillors, and one Rural Ward Councillor. We also have four Rural Community Board members and four Lakes Community Board members.

Who you get to vote for will depend on which electoral roll you are on (Māori or General roll), and where you live (urban or rural).

General and Rural ward map

General and Rural ward urban area map

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