Local body organisations are city or district councils, local or community boards, regional councils and District Health Boards. Different areas have different local body organisations.
District Health Boards are responsible for hospitals in your area and for all public health care from care of the elderly to delivering new babies. You vote for these board members by writing 1 beside the person you choose as the best, 2 for the next person and so on. Seven members will be chosen. You don’t need to put a number beside each name. You can vote for only one person if you want to.
Local or community boards are interested in the local community. They are concerned with parks, swimming pools, footpaths, roads and so on in their area. They make suggestions to the city or district council. They are paid to attend meetings.
City councils, and district councils in rural areas, spend the money. They decide where to put new facilities, new roads, new bridges and so on. They provide libraries, rubbish collection and special celebrations like fireworks or outdoor concerts in summer. You vote for council members in your area (your ward) and you also vote for the mayor. They are paid a full-time salary.
If you are a New Zealand citizen or Permanent Resident and have lived for one year in the same place, you will have your voting papers. They were posted to you about two weeks ago.
It is not easy to choose who to vote for. You should read the booklet which came with the voting papers. Some people have websites or are on Facebook. Sometimes you can go to a meeting and hear them speak.
You need to post your voting papers by Wednesday 9th October.
Listen to August 12th 2013 to hear more about local body elections.
Vocabulary
local body – local council.
deliver babies – a midwife or doctor delivers babies