\u201cIn simple terms, if you don\u2019t vote, you can\u2019t really complain about future decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The region with the highest returns is Wairoa, with 23.7% (1350).<\/p>\n
Close behind is Central Hawke\u2019s Bay, 18.97%, with 2064 voters returning their papers.<\/p>\n
Former Central Hawke\u2019s Bay Mayor Peter Butler said voters elect people to spend their hard-earned rates. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese people should be treated the same way as you would choose your own trustees … someone you would trust to look after your money when you are not around,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n
When asked what his advice to mayoral candidates would be, Butler said signs with re-elect, proven, transparent, accountable, etc, etc mean \u201cjack all to 99% of voters\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to pound the streets, attend every meeting from Federated Farmers to the Catholic Women\u2019s Knitting Group. I know, it\u2019s a hard three-month slog.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t pussyfoot with your speech statements. Even be a little bit controversial.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish all candidates well in their campaigns. It takes b***s to put you and your name out there, so good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Napier, 15.16% of eligible voters have cast their votes (7014).<\/p>\n
Former Napier Mayor Barbara Arnott said it was nothing new that voting statistics were declining.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are interested in local government when the rates notices arrive but not when the voting papers drop through the box,\u201d Arnott said.<\/p>\n
The Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council does not have separate voting documents because they are included in the council voting papers.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson said if all the returned votes from across the region were added up, it would give a rough estimate of the returns for the regional council.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, this isn\u2019t an accurate figure as it doesn\u2019t account for voting papers that are spoiled, for instance. Generally, the vote return for HBRC is done at the end of the voting period,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
While the numbers put this year\u2019s voting average above the 2022 tallies for the same time last year, voting papers were sent out a week earlier this year, which means the public has longer to vote.<\/p>\n
Voting bin locations<\/p>\n
Hastings<\/p>\n
Hastings District Council, Hastings War Memorial Library, Mitre 10 Hastings, Woolworths Hastings, Kmart Plaza, Hastings Sports Centre, The Warehouse Hastings.<\/p>\n
In Havelock North, you can drop your voting papers in bins at Havelock North Library or Havelock North New World Supermarket.<\/p>\n
In Flaxmere, voting bins will be at the library and the Flaxmere Supermarket.<\/p>\n
Other locations include Camberley Community Centre, Clive BP, Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga, Four Square Cape View, in Haumoana, and the Fire Station Bakery in Whakat\u016b.<\/p>\n
Napier<\/p>\n
In Napier, voting bins will be at Napier City Customer Services, Hawke\u2019s Bay Regional Council Customer Services, Napier Library, Taradale Library, Napier Aquatic Centre, Woolworths on Carlyle, Woolworths Napier, Pak\u2019nSave Napier, Pak\u2019nSave Tamatea, New World Onekawa, New World Greenmeadows, Taradale 4 Square, Pirimai Supermarket, The Warehouse, Mitre 10 Mega, Kmart, EIT Taradale Campus, EIT Maraenui Learning Centre, Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui \u0101 Orotu, Beattie and Forbes Ahuriri, NZ Post Marewa.<\/p>\n
Wairoa<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Wairoa District Council said voting documents could be posted until October 7.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter that date, it is best to deliver your votes to the ballot bin at the main council office, Queen St and New World Wairoa up to the close of voting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Central Hawke\u2019s Bay<\/p>\n
In CHB, the orange voting bins will be at Four Square Waipawa, New World Waipukurau, Countdown Waipukurau, Takapau Four Square, \u014ct\u0101ne General Store, P\u014drangahau Country Club, Ongaonga General Store, Tikokino Sawyer\u2019s Arms, CHBDC Office, Waipawa plus special voting, Waipawa Library and Te Huinga Wai \u2013 The knowledge and learning hub, Waipukurau Library.<\/p>\n
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIn simple terms, if you don\u2019t vote, you can\u2019t really complain about future decisions.\u201d The region with the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1561,138,5205,26698,39881,5903,528,1342,5194,1976,440,5978,111,139,69,7798,6695,21532,7248,24352,39878,17509,544,39879,39880,4504,39877,5905,15289],"class_list":["post-45184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-bay","tag-business","tag-council","tag-crowded","tag-districts","tag-election","tag-far","tag-five","tag-hastings","tag-hawkes","tag-local","tag-might","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-race","tag-regions","tag-rush","tag-seat","tag-secure","tag-slowest","tag-so","tag-some","tag-strongest","tag-tables","tag-theres","tag-turnout","tag-vote","tag-wairoa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}