Mobile ballot boxes on tour next week!

We’re making it easier for your vote to count by bringing the ballot box to voters in our most remote communities from Wednesday 10 September.

The district-wide Mobile Ballot Box Tour 2025 will visit marae, local halls, schools, sports clubs and markets and will be available throughout the district, seven days a week from Wednesday 10 September to Friday 10 October.

Six mobile ballot box units will travel the district visiting urban centres and small or remote Far North communities in an effort to reduce barriers to voting and help anyone wanting to enrol or cast a special vote.

Enrolled voters will start receiving their postal voting forms from Tuesday 9 September, when voting in the local elections opens. Voting closes at midday on Saturday 11 October. While most voters will post their voting forms using the envelope included with their mailed documents, the council will also provide ballot boxes at each of its eight service centres, as well as the mobile units.

Go to the Mobile Ballot Box Tour website to keep up to date with tour locations. If you would like to invite our Mobile Ballot Box Tour to your community, please email elections@fndc.govt.nz.

The Mobile Ballot Box Tour 2025 kicks off at:

• Bay of Islands-Whangaroa – 10am to 12pm at the soccer winter sports event on Kerikeri Soccer Field
• Kaikohe-Hokianga – 10am to 2pm at Panguru Clinic, 2189 West Coast Rd
• Te Hiku – 10am to 2pm at Mangōnui Four Square.

Special votes and late enrolments

If you enrolled or updated your details after 1 August, you must lodge a special vote. If you haven't received your voting papers in the mail by Saturday 13 September – don’t worry, you can lodge a special vote. You can do this through our mobile ballot boxes or visit any one of our eight council service centres.

Voting closes midday on Saturday 11 October. Only three voting locations will be open on the final day of the voting. These will be at our Kerikeri, Kaikohe, and Kaitāia service centres.

What you’ll be voting for

All eligible voters can vote for:

• The Far North Mayor
• Your local community board – based on the subdivision you live in
• Your Northland Regional Council representative(s) – based on the constituency area you live in.

In addition, depending on the roll you are on:

• General Roll voters will vote for Far North Councillors based on the ward you live in, e.g. Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward, Kaikohe-Hokianga Ward or Te Hiku Ward
• Māori Roll voters will vote for Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward Councillors.

Go here to find out how to check which electoral roll you are on.

Remember, there are two binding polls too

• Whether to keep or remove the Māori ward for Far North District Council
• Whether to keep or remove the Māori constituency for Northland Regional Council.

These decisions will apply at the 2028 and 2031 elections.

You can find out more about the Māori Ward Poll in an animation in te reo Māori and English here.

VOTE LOCAL