6 Oct 2025: local election turnout

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Elections voter turnout

Enquiry

I am writing a story about the voter turnout in the Bay of Plenty region so far including in the Rotorua Lakes District Council area

I'm seeking comments from the appropriate council manager about the voter turnout in the Rotorua Lakes Council area as of October 3.

The data shows that 11,380 or 22.72% of the 50,083 eligible voters have cast their votes compared to 16.32% at the same point in 2022.

My questions are as follows:

Q1. What has the council done differently this time round to help prompt more eligible voters to cast their votes?

Q2. How much has the council spent in advertising this election compared to the 2022 election? (I see some great front page prompts published in the newspaper)

And if less than 2022, please explain why or if more spent in 2025, please elaborate on the reason?

Response

We provided the following information:

Q1. What has the council done differently this time round to help prompt more eligible voters to cast their votes?

The chief executive’s pre-election report was issued earlier than normal this year in an effort to create early awareness and engagement.

We are actively working to increase voter turnout through a targeted campaign with a range of promotions to appeal to different demographics.

Our team has also taken to the streets, with staff conducting lunchtime walkabouts to speak directly with community members and encourage participation.

In terms of engagement events we have had special voting pop-ups in various suburbs and at the Civic Centre on two Saturdays (27 Sept and 4 Oct).

Other events where staff have promoted the elections have included the annual Kurangaituku Netball Tournament, the Manu Samoa vs Fiji rugby match at the stadium and Pikiao Ahurei.

We have increased the number of voting bins in locations across the city to make it easier for people to cast their votes and have increased digital and social media advertising.

We’ve placed a strong emphasis on key voting periods and special voting to maintain momentum and visibility.

We have also worked alongside iwi partners to create awareness.

Voter turnout so far is tracking ahead of 2022 which is promising.

Engagement from Māori ward voters has reached 19.99%, closely aligning with general ward turnout at 23.84% and rural ward turnout at 22.86%. This uplift is encouraging and suggests our efforts are helping increase participation across the board.

Q2. How much has the council spent in advertising this election compared to the 2022 election? (I see some great front page prompts published in the newspaper).

And if less than 2022, please explain why or if more spent in 2025, please elaborate on the reason?

We spent $56,445 on advertising in 2022 and this year to date $34,028.

Our 2025 efforts have had a stronger focus on digital advertising to “meet” people where they are, we have used generational humour to target different demographics and have had a strong call to action.

In 2022 we spent more on traditional and out of home media such as bus backs, billboards and radio.