THIS IS THE TESTING WEBSITE. IF YOU BREAK IT, LET WEB TEAM KNOW (ESPECIALLY IF YOU WORK ON THE LIVE/PRODUCTION SITE AND BREAK IT SOMEHOW)
Learn more nowTHIS IS THE TESTING WEBSITE. IF YOU BREAK IT, LET WEB TEAM KNOW (ESPECIALLY IF YOU WORK ON THE LIVE/PRODUCTION SITE AND BREAK IT SOMEHOW)
What matters to you in your community? Whatever needs changing, you could be the person to change it by becoming an ORC councillor. Know someone great? Encourage them to stand!
Regional councils are democratic organizations.
Environmental management: Managing the use of land, air, water, and coastal waters. This includes flood control, air and water quality, and pest control.
Natural resource management: Managing land, air, and water resources sustainably. This includes supporting biodiversity and biosecurity.
Regional transport: Planning and contracting passenger services, and managing harbour navigation and safety.
Regional emergency management: Preparing for and responding to emergencies and natural disasters.
Regional policy: Developing regional policy statements.
Community wellbeing: Promoting the economic, social, cultural, and environmental wellbeing of the region.
Otago is broken into four constituencies. Each councillor serves their constituency, representing the main issues for their area in council discussions and financial spending, as well as Otago as a whole at a national level.
We are awaiting a decision on the representation review results to confirm the number of councillors for each constituency.
In a regional council, the term ‘constituency’ is used rather than ‘ward’.
As an elected member no two days are the same. You will:
On any given day, an ORC councillor may:
On top of this, there will be responsibilities that relate to your specific role.
Remuneration for local body officers is set by the government, under the Remuneration Authority Act 1977 and parts of the Local Government Act 2002.
Base rates for the 2024/2025 years are:
Office | Annual remuneration ($) |
---|---|
Regional Council Chairperson | 158,538 |
Regional Council Deputy Chairperson | 88,009 |
Councillor with no additional responsibilities | 67,405 |
Councillor (minimum allowable remuneration) | 52,714 |
More information about how payment is set, rates from previous years, and allowances that can be received are available on remauthority.govt.nz
Are you thinking about standing at the next local government elections, but have questions about how the process works? Head over to Vote NZ for their detailed FAQs for anyone interested in standing for the 2025 local body elections.
In New Zealand, having a criminal record does not necessarily disqualify someone from running in local elections. However, there are specific restrictions:
You must be a New Zealand citizen and be a parliamentary elector anywhere in New Zealand. You don’t need any formal qualifications. Elected members come from all walks of life and generally have a desire to serve their community.
No. You don’t, However, you must be:
To stand for local body elections you must:
There aren't many requirements or restrictions for standing, however you need to make sure that you are eligible to vote.
candidate handbook goes here
Phone: 0800 474 082
Email: elections@orc.govt.nz