Information on How to Stand
Can I stand?
To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be:
- a New Zealand citizen (by birth or naturalisation ceremony); and
- enrolled as a Parliamentary elector (anywhere in New Zealand); and
- Candidates must be nominated by two electors whose names appear onthe electoral roll within the respective area that acandidate is standing for.
How do I stand?
Nominations for these positions open on Friday 4 July 2025 and close at noon on Friday 1 August 2025.
You can complete an online nomination form, go to: Election Services Portal - ESP.
Or you can pick up and complete a printed nomination paper, which will be available during this period from:
- Council’s Main Office, 515 Mackay Street, Thames;
- Coromandel Town Service Centre, 355 Kapanga Road, Coromandel;
- Mercury Bay Service Centre, 10 Monk Street, Whitianga;
- Tairua Library, 2 Manaia Street, Tairua;
- Whangamatā Service Centre, 620 Port Road, Whangamatā.
or you can download and print at: https://www.tcdc.govt.nz/nominationforms
What positions can I stand for?
Elections will be required for the following positions
Mayor
Mayor, elected ‘at large’ representing the District.
Councillor
10 positions are available and elected from the following wards, they will represent the whole district.
- 1 from Coromandel-Colville General ward
- 3 from Mercury Bay General ward
- 2 from South East General ward
- 3 from Thames General ward
- 1 from Te Tara o Te Ika Māori ward
Community Board Member
4 positions of Board Member are available for each of the boards below
- Coromandel-Colville
- Mercury Bay
- Tairua-Pāuanui
- Whangamatā
- Thames
What are the roles and responsibilities of an Elected Member?
For more information refer to our Candidate Information Handbook
Mayor
The mayor is elected by all the electors within the district. As one of the elected members, the mayor shares the same responsibilities as the councillors. The mayor also has the following roles:
- presiding at council meetings ensuring the orderly conduct of business during meetings;
- advocating on behalf of the community which involves the promotion of the community and representation of its interests (such advocacy will be most effective where it is carried out with the knowledge and support of the council);
- spokesperson for the council;
- ceremonial head of the council;
- providing leadership and feedback to other elected members on teamwork and chairing of committees; and
- fulfilling the responsibilities of a Justice of the Peace (while the mayor holds office)
Deputy Mayor
The deputy mayor can be appointed by the mayor, or if the mayor declines to exercise that power, the council can elect the deputy mayor at the first meeting of council. If the mayor is absent or incapacitated or if the office of mayor is vacant, the deputy mayor must perform all of the mayor’s responsibilities and duties and may exercise the powers of the mayor.
Councillor
Once elected, at the inaugural meeting, councillors will make a formal declaration that they will perform their duties faithfully and impartially, and according to their best skill and judgment in the best interests of the district. So while they are elected from a particular ward they act on behalf of the whole district once elected.
The council may appoint councillors to the community boards within the ward they were elected from. When councillors are appointed back to the community boards they hold two roles. At community board meetings they act in the interest of the community board area and when considering that recommendation at the council meeting they act in the interest of the district.
Councillors are also appointed to the council's committees.
Community Board Member
The Local Government Act describes the role of community boards as:
- represent and act as an advocate for the interests of their community;
- consider and report on any matter referred to it by the council and any issues of interest or concern to the community board;
- make an annual submission to council on expenditure in the community;
- maintain an overview of services provided by the council within the community;
- communicate with community organisations and special interest groups in the community;
- undertake any other responsibilities delegated by counci
What is the workload?
For more information refer to our Candidate Information Handbook
The normal duties of elected members, as established by practice and custom include:
- attending and participating in meetings;
- reading agendas and other material before meetings;
- attending to enquiries/feedback from members of the public;
- attending or hosting functions;
- participating in any relevant consultative/ engagement processes with the community;
- representing the council or community board on related organisations, where appointed;
- attending and participating in training, conferences and seminars.
Meetings and workshops for the council, its committees and the community boards are held during the daytime on a six week cycle with additional workshops and meetings scheduled as required. In many cases these scheduled meetings and workshops are framed into a half day or a whole day.
Many mayors find that the commitment is full-time.
The deputy mayor, committee chairs and community board chairs typically would work between 20-30 hours each week, with some lighter weeks. Councillors work upward of 20 hours per week and for community board members it is estimated at 10-15 hours per week
The first 100 days of an elected member's role is the busiest, and will require additional time to complete induction. This will likely involve some full and half-day forums with bus tours of the district over October – December 2025. The induction programme will include briefings on the council services, the governance structure, meeting procedures, the Code of Conduct and its complaints process, confidentiality, media training, managing conflicts, key council policies and local government legislation and the current annual plan.
What do i get paid?
Elected members are entitled to be paid for the work undertaken. This remuneration is generally by way of a base salary and allowances for such things as mileage and communication expenses. A remuneration pool is set by the Remuneration Authority. The newly elected Council will decide how to apply the pool of funding.
For more information refer to our Candidate Information Handbook or attend one of our Candidate Information Briefings.