It appears from the 2025 election that local government elections are under active threat of increased corrupt behaviour. The integrity systems currently in place are showing their age. They need review and realignment to enable the full implementation of the principles of the Local Electoral Act 2001.
In our 27 February, 2026 Submission to Justice Select Committee Inquiry into 2025 Local Authority Election TINZ outlined issues arising from the 2025 local elections including:
- Integrity of electoral processes.
- Oversight for accountability and reporting, special votes
- Education and Information for new candidates
- Disinformation, Misinformation and Harassment
We highlighted some concerning behaviours, some of which are now being investigated by the NZ Police. If proven these would be egregious breaches of the Local Electoral Act.
We also highlighted the problem that there is no agency that has sufficient information or authority to ensure a sound integrity process around local body elections. There is no ability to consider reviewing the Local Authority Act, or postal voting, or to respond effectively to the changes in use and impact of special votes, and how that might be affecting enfranchisement.
Recommendations
- Review the Local Electoral Act to better enable more timely responses to alleged breaches of the Act during the election period.
- Review the use of postal voting in local body elections.
- Empower the Electoral Commission to administer local authority elections, and give it more powers under the Local Electoral Act:
- To receive information and to act where breaches of the Act are alleged.
- To monitor local authority voting practices, irregularities and complaints and to provide timely advice to parliament about potential policy or regulatory changes.
- To include corruption risk assessment training for all Electoral Officers.
- To review postal voting
- To provide transparent public reporting on local government elections.
- To set standards for decisions around allowance/ disallowances, and to enhance opportunities for people to vote correctly.
- To provide funding to enable organisations (eg LGNZ) to run pre-election candidate information sessions online, which include training on the Local Electoral Act including principles and breaches, and ‘why’.
- To standardise reporting and reporting deadlines for Electoral Officers, and increase reporting (eg on irregularities and complaints).
- To require all new local authority candidates to undertake a training programme on the Local Electoral Act.
- To provide funding to run online public campaigns ahead of local elections, designed to teach users how to spot and avoid common manipulation techniques before they are exposed to them.
- To establish fast-tracked reporting channel with social media companies to report harmful, false information directly.
Read our complete submission as .pdf or in document form.
