No nominations have been received yet for the position of Mayor for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

On Friday August 9, the list of nominations was updated on the Council's website and show that no-one has yet thrown their hat in the ring.

Stephen Fawcett, Mike Lally and Monique Lints have been nominated as Councillors for the Te Puke-Maketu Ward, which has four vacancies.

The Kaimai Ward also has four vacancies with only two candidates nominated so far – Murray Grainger and John Palmer.

There are five candidates already vying for the three Katikati-Waihi Beach Ward vacancies. They are Allan Sole, Christine Humphreys, John Clements, James Denyer and George Van Dyke.

As well as nominations required for Mayor and Councillors, there are the local community boards requiring members. Each of the five Western Bay community boards have four vacancies, with their purpose being to represent and act as advocates for the interests of their communities.

The Maketu Community Board which meets on a six weekly basis, so far has three candidates - Laura Rae; and Shane Beech and Wendy McFadyen who are seeking re-election.

Stephen Fawcett and Richard McNair have been nominated for the Te Puke Community Board.

The Omokoroa Community Board has received no nominations so far.

The Katikati Community Board has four nominations –John Clements, Christina Humphreys and George Van Dyke; and Norm Mayo who is a current member.

Lastly, the Waihi Beach Community Board, also needing four members, has received two nominations so far - for Ross Goudie, and Marilyn Roberts who is the current deputy chair.

Local Body Elections are a one-in-three-year opportunity to make a difference in your community.

Elected members make decisions that affect the day-to-day lives of all Western Bay residents, including the rates you pay and the services and assets they pay for; what cultural and sporting events are taking place near you; rubbish and recycling; and rules around where you can walk your dog.

Nomination papers are available from:

• Council's Main Office, Barkes Corner, 1484 Cameron Road, Greerton, Tauranga;
• Katikati Library & Service Centre, The Centre – Pātuki Manawa, 21 Main Road, Katikati;
• Omokoroa Library & Service Centre, McDonnell Street, Omokoroa;
• Te Puke Library & Information Service Centre, 130 Jellicoe Street, Te Puke;
• Waihi Beach Library & Service Centre, Waihi Beach Road, Waihi Beach;
• by telephoning the electoral office on 0800 922 822.

To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be:

• a New Zealand citizen (by birth or citizenship ceremony); and
• enrolled as a Parliamentary elector (anywhere in New Zealand); and
• nominated by two electors whose names appear on the electoral roll within the respective area that a candidate is standing for.

Election information for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council can be found here

Nominations close Friday August 16 at 12 noon.