Local authority elections
Every three years, the people of Christchurch get to vote for a Mayor, councillors and community board members to represent our diverse communities.
Local authority elections took place in 2022. Voting was open from Friday 16 September 2022 to noon on Saturday 8 October 2022.
Find out more about the elections. See 2022 election results.
Celect is a free app with everything you need to know about Mayoral, Council and ECan elections. Find out how to vote, view candidates, shortlist your favourites and get notifications about election dates and results.
Return of voting papers
Completed voting papers couold be returned via post or in person at any Christchurch City Libraries branch during normal opening hours. Voting papers could also be returned to Christchurch City Council service centres or Christchurch City Council Civic Offices at 53 Hereford Street.
Find out more about voting and special votes.
Voting from Friday 16 September to noon on Saturday 8 October
Voting documents will be posted to enrolled electors from Friday 16 September. They will arrive between Friday 16 September and Wednesday 21 September. People in the same household may get their voting documents on different days.
Who are the elections for:
- Christchurch City Council: Mayor, Councillor and Community Board members
- Environment Canterbury: Councillors
What will people receive with their voting documents:
- Voting paper for their ward
- Information and Candidate Profiles booklet
- Return post envelope
Can people still vote if they haven’t received their voting documents by 21 September
Yes - they can be issued with special voting documents:
- Issued from nine customer services sites Monday to Friday, and at Civic offices on Saturday 8 October 9am to 12noon
- Can request special voting documents posted to them calling 03 941 8999 or emailing elections2022@ccc.govt.nz
To ensure their vote counts they will also need to ensure they are enrolled on the electoral roll. They can check
this at:
- www.vote.nz
- 0800 36 76 56
- enrolment forms are available at sites issuing special voting documents
When is election day:
- Election day is Saturday 8 October
- Voting closes at 12noon and your vote must be with the Electoral Office or in a Council ballot box by then.
Where do they find about candidates:
- There will be an Information and Candidate Profiles booklet sent with voting documents.
- Information about the candidates (including their contact details) is also available on the Council
website: www.ccc.govt.nz/elections or through the Celect app - Information online or within their community
How do people vote:
- Read the information with their voting documents - includes information about candidates
- Tick the voting paper for the candidates they want to vote for
- Put it in the return post envelope:
- post it back by 5pm on 4 October, or
- take it to a ballot box in an open Council library or service centre before noon on Saturday 8 October
Electoral rolls
A full set of local body electoral rolls are held at each of our libraries (except the Mobile Library).
Information about getting onto the electoral roll is on the Vote NZ website.
Election results
Results of the Christchurch City Council and elections will be available on the Christchurch City Council website.
Christchurch elections
All resident voters and non-resident ratepayer voters whose names appear on the electoral rolls are eligible to vote in their local government elections.
Christchurch City Council
Elections will be held for the following positions:
- Mayor of Christchurch City;
- Christchurch City Councillors (16 councillors in total, with one councillor from each of the 16 wards);
- Members of the Christchurch Community Boards.
The Christchurch City Council election uses the First Past the Post (FPP) electoral system.
Find out more about the elections.
Environment Canterbury (ECan)
Find out about standing as a candidate, enrolling and voting.
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB)
DHBs don't exist in the new health system, and Health NZ will not have elected boards or officials. However, the locality model will enable much greater community consultation, involvement, and representation in how care is designed and delivered. The health system will also have other mechanisms to ensure wider consumer, whānau, and community voice in the planning and delivery of services at the regional and national levels. Ultimately, these mechanisms will increase the influence New Zealanders have on our health system.
Find out more.
Local authority election resources
Our community directory CINCH has local government listings.
