Have your say in local elections

The postal ballots for local council and District Health Board elections have now been sent out which means it’s your chance to vote for your local council and District Health Board reps.

Local elections are hugely important for communities, and their outcome will have a major influence over issues that affect your everyday life. This election, you get to vote for your city council, regional council and district health board. Some communities will also get to vote for a community board.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says everyone should make the effort to vote in local elections because they make important decisions that affect our daily lives.

“The important thing for working people these elections is to make sure we elect candidates who understand the importance of strong public services, are mindful of the impact of rates increases on low-income people and are committed to treating their staff properly.

“The makeup of district health boards is also of direct interest to union members. As we saw during the Spotless lockout, the decision of DHBs whether to contract out can make a huge difference to working people. Even now, members of our union at Canterbury DHB are having to really struggle to get a decent pay rise.”

Several organisations have put out guides on which candidates will most benefit working people:

• The Labour Party has put together a list of candidates for local bodies across Auckland and are endorsing Len Brown for Mayor of Manukau, Dick Hubbard for Mayor of Auckland, George Wood for North Shore and Bob Harvey for Waitakere. You can view the whole list of preferred candidates  by clicking here  [pdf - 20kb]. Otherwise look out for CityVision or 2021 candidates.

• The Nurses Organisation has ranked candidates for DHBs according to their commitment to safe staffing levels, being a good employer, funding contracts, quality governance and accountability. You can view the list via the NZNO’s website at http://www.nzno.org.nz/site/votewell.aspx

• For Christchurch members the Southern Local Government Officers Union has put together a questionnaire for Christchurch mayoral candidates. They’ve endorsed Megan Woods of 2021 as the candidate with the best understanding of what it means to be a good employer . You can view the candidates’ answers to the survey by clicking here [pdf - 50bk]

If you have any questions about local elections or how to vote, visit http://www.elections.org.nz/local_elections_2007.html or call 0800 36 76 56 .