Nominations close noon Friday 12 August, and don’t leave it to the last minute is the advice from electionz.com.

Electoral Officer Anthony Morton is urging those interested in standing to get their nominations in as soon as possible next week.

“We’re expecting a busy last week, so we’d like those intending to stand to submit their nominations as soon as possible to allow time to check the paperwork and correct any problems found,” Mr Morton said.

As of yesterday, Thursday 4 August, council had received 3 nominations. Nominations are being updated daily and published on the election page of the ORC website.

“You can do so much for your community by standing for election to local government,” ORC Interim Chief Executive Dr Pim Borren says. “If you are passionate about our environment and how we leave the beautiful Otago region for future generations, climate change, public transport as well as important responsibilities around hazard management, emergency management, and flood management, then this might be the governance role for you.

“Our focus is regional, not any one town or city. We work closely with iwi as a partner and important stakeholders to provide a balance to our future well-being; whether it be environmental, economic, social, or cultural. We want to continue to see Otago as the region the rest of the world is jealous of.”

There are 12 councillors in all, with six to be elected to the Dunedin constituency, three for Dunstan, two for Molyneux and one for Moeraki.

Regional council candidates will be announced on Wednesday 17 August.

See ORC’s candidate handbook and pre-election report, available online for more information.