There are no special qualifications needed to be a candidate. To be a candidate you need to be:
Nominations to be a candidate will open on Friday 4 July 2025.
To stand as a candidate:
You can also add a recent head and shoulders photo of yourself, and a 150 word statement. We recommend that you add both of these to your nomination. More information on the requirements to stand can be found in our Candidates Handbook.
Our Candidates Handbook gives candidates information about how to complete their nomination form, rules around running in local elections and information on the voting process.
Our Pre-election Report provides information for voters at the next local body elections and for those considering standing at the election as potential candidates.
Nomination forms are now available for the 2025 local elections:
Mayor of Porirua City
The Mayor of Porirua City is elected by the whole of the City (not specific to the ward you’re enrolled in).
Preliminary number of electors in Porirua City: 61,790
Elected by those on the Māori Electoral Roll across Porirua.
Preliminary number of electors in the Parirua Māori Ward: 8,490
Onepoto General Ward – 5 Councillors
Elected by those on the General Electoral Roll and living in Mana Island, Tītahi Bay, Takapūwāhia, Elsdon, Kenepuru, Porirua City Centre, Rānui, Cannons Creek, Aotea, Waitangirua and Ascot Park.
Preliminary number of electors in the Onepoto General Ward: 30,100
Elected by those on the General Electoral Roll and living in Pukerua Bay, Paekākāriki Hill, Judgeford, Plimmerton, Hongoeka, Camborne, Whitby, Pāuatahanui and Papakōwhai.
Preliminary number of electors in the Pāuatahanui General Ward: 23,200
Elected by those on the Māori Electoral Roll across the Greater Wellington region.
Elected by those on the General Electoral Roll and living in Porirua City and the Wellington City suburbs of Tawa, Takapū Valley and Grenada North.
Candidate information sessions were held on 12 and 14 July.
One session was recorded for any potential candidates who couldn't make it:
Porirua City has a Signs Bylaw and a list of approved signage sites for 2025 that provides all the information about when, where and how to place your signs over the election period. The purpose of our signs bylaw is to ensure your signs are visible to the community, there is fair placement of signs and there is equitable exposure of everyone’s signs.
All signage for elections requires an approved permit by our Bylaws Team. You can apply for a permit to place election signs by completing the application form and emailing to [email protected].
The form submitted must match the sign placed.
The permit application form can be filled in here.
2025 approved signage site list.
Signs and other advertising materials can be displayed from 12 midnight Saturday 9 August 2025 and must be removed by 11:59 pm Friday 10 October 2025.
In summary, all signs must:
Example sign
The maximum permitted surface area of each sign is 3m2 (approximately 1700mm x 1700mm) and placed a maximum of 1800mm from ground level.
Signs in public locations must be single-sided. V-shaped, double-sided signs or signs that block others are not permitted.
Sign materials
Sign stakes must be wooden. Metal waratahs are not permitted.
Signs in public areas can only be installed on the approved list of public sites. A list sites can be found here.
Pāuatahanui site locations: Papakōwhai, Paremata and Whitby
Onepoto site locations: Ascot Park, Cannons Creek, Kenepuru, Rānui, Tītahi Bay and Waitangirua
Signs must not be displayed on or connected to a vehicle that is parked on a road or a public place, if the principal function of the vehicle is to display advertising for local elections.
Vehicle includes: car, truck, bus, van, tractor, trailer, bicycle, motorcycle and any other device similar in appearance or description.
Signs on Waka Kotahi | New Zealand Transport Agency land
If you wish to place signs on Waka Kotahi | New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) land, you must comply with the New Zealand Transport Agency (Signs on State Highways) Bylaw 2010 and the proposed sign be approved by Waka Kotahi | NZTA.
Consent can be obtained by emailing [email protected].
Signs on private property
Signs may be placed on private property on a case-by-case basis based on Porirua City's District Plan.
Signs must to be placed at least 50m away from an intersection.
We can help check your proposed sign locations. Speak to our Bylaws Team about placement recommendations when you apply.
Any unauthorised signs or signs that do not match the description on the application form need to be rectified following a request within 48 hours or be removed if not rectified within an approved timeframe.
Removed signs will be stored at a Council facility and a $50.00 fee will be charged for the return of each sign (after the first occasion).
The Bylaws team will take the upmost care to not to damage or destroy your sign in its removal process, but Council takes no responsbility if damage does occur in this process.
If you have a complaint about the placement of a sign, or you have noticed a sign has been damaged or destroyed, please contact via email our Bylaws Team.
If you have a complaint about the content of a sign, you can lodge a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on their website.
The ASA will consider complaints if they consider it to be in breach of at least one of the following principles from the Advertising Standards Code:
These provide guidance to help current elected members in balancing their roles as an elected member and as a candidate seeking re-election.
Local Government New Zealand have produced this guide with safety advice for candidates and elected members.
Find out more about what being an elected member is like on this page
At the Council Workshop on 20 February 2025, the Electoral Officer and Deputy Electoral Officer presented an open item to Council on the upcoming elections. Please note: the information provided in this session was current at the time of presentation, but may have changed since.
At the Council Workshop on 10 July 2025, the Deputy Electoral Officer presented an open item to Council on the upcoming elections. Please note: the information provided in this session was current at the time of presentation, but may have changed since.
The Deputy Electoral Officer gave an update on the election on Sāmoan Capital Radio on 15 July 2025.
An affiliation shows a candidate is officially supported by a political party, organisation or a group that shares an agreement on ideas, beliefs or policies.
Affiliations can influence how people vote, participate in politics or view certain topics and issues.
If you’re running on your own and are not part of an organisation or group, you can list your affiliation as “independent” or leave the section blank on the nomination form.
If you’re interested in joining an existing affiliation, contact the organisation or group directly to discuss membership.
You can create your own affiliation. You do not need to register it in advance with the Electoral Officer before lodging your nomination.
To start your own affiliation, form a group of like-minded people and choose a name which reflects the group’s values and goals.
A candidate requiring a specific political party, candidate group or organisation affiliation must have authority to adopt that affiliation. An approval letter/email from the relevant political party/organisation showing their consent for use of that affiliation should be included when submitting the nomination form.
This is a safety measure to avoid any illegal adoption of party/organisation affiliations and ensures affiliations are used legally and transparently with the public.
The nomination paper includes a field to allow a candidate to list an affiliation of up to 38 characters (including any spaces). This will be strictly enforced.
Affiliations that will not be accepted include those:
If candidates wish to list whānau, hapū or iwi details as an affiliation, an endorsement or confirmation letter from a Marae, Whānau Trust, Iwi Authority, or other Māori organisation would be required.
It is acknowledged whakapapa is a birth right and situations may occur where candidates may not feel they need to provide proof, in which case, whakapapa can be highlighted in the context of the candidate profile statement and other forums and activities.
The next stage is campaigning, you can use social media, advertise in newspapers or on billboards, hold meetings with your community to spread the word about your candidacy and attend meet the candidate events.
You should find out what is important to your local community and learn about Porirua’s local government structure and the role of mayor and councillors.
Getting votes
One of the main reasons people do not vote in local election is that they do not know enough about the candidates and their views. To run a successful campaign, you need to let your community know the key issues you support.
Tips for connecting with people:
We'll update this section as we receive questions from candidates for the 2025 local elections.
Signs on trailers are only permitted at the designated signs locations or on private land in traffic safety areas, the same as static signs essentially.
While not specific to election signs, this is covered under the Signs Bylaw. The Bylaw’s definition of a sign includes those displayed on parked vehicles and trailers.
Clause 4.1 of the Signs Bylaw 2020 states:
"Sign and Signage means an advertisement, message or notice conveyed using any visual medium, which advertises a product, business, service, or event or acts to inform or warn any person, and includes: murals, banners, flags, posters, balloons, blimps, sandwich boards, projections of lights or electronic display boards, placards, hoardings or other similar devices (including parked vehicles or trailers where such vehicle or trailer is parked specifically for the purpose of advertising). "
How can I access the Māori Electoral Roll number for Porirua (i.e., by Iwi)?
The Māori Electoral Roll will be available for viewing on Friday 4 July 2025. Te Whata holds statistics on Māori and associated iwi around Aotearoa New Zealand. However, they do not provide specific data for the Porirua area.
Where can I find a nomination form online?
Nomination forms will be available from Friday 4 July 2025. Candidates can access nomination forms on our website, in person from the Administration Building or at our libraries.
What would the commitment of a Ward Councillor be in terms of time? If a Councillor has a full-time job would the Councillor role count as secondary employment?
Councillor roles at Porirua are considered part-time. The majority of Council and Committee meetings and workshops are scheduled on Thursday mornings between 8:30am and 12:30pm. Councillors would also need to set aside time to read agendas and attend community events in the evenings or on weekends.
Where should I get my signs designed and printed?
Council cannot give advice on campaigning including the design and printing of signs.
How will I know where and when the “meet the candidates” event are?
“Meet the candidates” events are run by Porirua’s community groups and organisations not by Council. Council will list events on our website if we receive notification from the community group.
Can I get copies of the past Annual Plans, Long-term Plans and Annual Reports?
Copies of these can be viewed or downloaded from our website:
Have a question? Ask us at [email protected]
