Election signage
Election signs can go up two months before polling day (that is, from 12.01am on 11 August), except for the two “special” areas in Miyazu and Waimea Road where signs can only go up one month before polling day (12.01am on 11 September 2025).
All signs must be removed before midnight on 10 October 2025.
Signs can be up to 3 square metres in size (this for example covers a standard billboard of 1.2m x 2.4m), and a list with the location of each of the 10 signs allowed per candidate must be provided as part of your nomination documentation. Council bollards cannot used for election advertising, locations of Council owned bollards here.
Please see page 24 in the Candidates’ Handbook for more requirements in relation to signage.
Election signs along state highways
For more information, click to read NZTA's election signage guidelines.
Who can stand as a candidate?
Nominations open 4 July and close at noon on 1 August 2025.
- To qualify as a candidate for the positions of mayor or councillor, a person must be:
- a New Zealand citizen
- aged over 18
- enrolled on the parliamentary electoral roll.
- Candidates do not need to reside in the area in which they are standing but will need to disclose that fact in their candidate profile statement.
- Candidates need two people to nominate them. These people must be aged over 18 and enrolled to vote at an address in the area the candidate wants to represent. Candidates can obtain information on rules and procedures from the nomination forms and in the candidate information handbook. These are available from the electoral officer, via service centres, and on the council’s website once the nomination period has opened.
Nomination forms
If you would like to run for Mayor or as a Councillor, please fill in one of the forms below. You can either return the form to our Customer Service Centre at Civic House on Trafalgar Street or email it to elections@ncc.govt.nz.
Please make sure you attach all supporting documents along with the form to your email.
If you've any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Deputy Electoral Officer, Devorah Nicuarta-Smith at elections@ncc.govt.nz.
Understand how local government works
Find more information about Council, including meetings, affiliated organisations, unitary authority, Senior Leadership Team, long term and annual plans below. We encourage you to watch or sit in on Council meetings and learn more about all the activities Council is involved in on our website.
