Local Elections

Council

Elections are held every three years to elect mayors, councillors, community board members, and other positions of other local bodies.

The next local elections will be held this year, on 11 October 2025.

The elections are an opportunity for you to help shape what the Timaru District will look like into the future, both by voting and considering standing for election.

This webpage will be updated in the lead-up to the election as more information about the 2025 elections becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage you to:

Note: some parts of these three links are based on the 2022 local elections, and will be updated as 2025-specific information becomes available.

Have questions or need help? Please contact elections@timdc.govt.nz or call 03 687 7200.

If you are looking for information about past local elections (including the 2024 Geraldine by-elections) and general elections, please refer to the links at the bottom of this webpage.

Local Elections in the Timaru District

Local Authority Electoral System No. of Candidates elected
Timaru District Council   
Mayor First Past The Post (FPP) 1
Council (9 Councillors):   
  • Geraldine Ward
FPP1 Councillor
  • Pleasant Point-Temuka Ward
FPP2 Councillors
  • Timaru Ward
FPP6 Councillors
Geraldine Community Board FPP 6 Members
Pleasant Point Community Board FPP 5 Members
Temuka Community Board FPP 5 Members
Environment Canterbury (South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi Constituency) FPP2 Members
Geraldine Licensing Trust FPP 6 Members

The elections are held by postal vote and conducted under the First Past the Post (FPP) system.

The elections you can participate in depends on the address that you are enrolled at (with the Electoral Commission). If you own property in the district but live elsewhere, find out more about enrolling on the Ratepayers Roll here.

Use this map to find your ward and the elections that you can vote in. If you think you are enrolled at the wrong address, go to the Vote NZ website to update it.

Note: The Environment Canterbury election may be impacted by its ongoing Representation Review. Find out more here.

Note: The Timaru District Council's representation arrangements have been reviewed since the last local elections in 2022. It concluded with no changes being made. See here for more information.

Note: The elections are conducted under the:

More about local government and elections can be found on this page - www.votelocal.co.nz

Key Dates

Key dates for the 2025 local elections are:

By 4 July 2025Public Notice of election, calling for nominations, roll open for inspection
4 July 2025Nominations open. Electoral Roll opens for inspection
1 August 2025Nominations close at 12 NOON. Electoral Roll closes
6 August 2025 (as soon as practicable)Public Notice of candidate names and special voting places
9 - 22 September 2025Delivery of voting documents (may occur at any point during this period)
9 September – 11 October 2025Voting and Special voting period. Early processing period
11 October 2025Election Day (voting closes at 12 NOON). Progress/Preliminary results announced as soon as practicable
11 - 16 October 2025Official Count
16 - 19 October 2025 (as soon as practicable)Declaration of Final Result, and Public Notice of results

Public Notices

These will be added when available (see timetable above).

Pre-Election Report

The Pre-Election Report will be available on this webpage by 18 July 2025.

Candidate Information Meeting

Date: Monday 23rd June 2025, from 6pm

Location: Council Chambers, Timaru District Council, 2 King George Place

This meeting will provide information for candidates, including on the elections process and work of the agencies for which elections are being held. Go here for further information or contact the Electoral Officer on 03 687 7200 or email elections@timdc.govt.nz.

Elections - Frequently Asked Questions

This section will be updated once 2025 local elections-specific material becomes available. In the meantime, please refer to the 2022 local elections FAQs.

Keep an eye on these pages for further updates.