With two days to go until ballot boxes close, it’s time to choose who you want to run this city.

Since voting opened for Tauranga City’s 2024 local election on 29 June, 22,856 people have so far returned their voting papers. 

Tauranga City Council Chief Executive Marty Grenfell is encouraging everyone still considering who to vote for to check out what the candidates stand for over the coming days, and then lodge their votes by midday on Saturday, July 20.

“Tell your friends, your whānau and your community groups to choose who they think will best represent them and shape the city they want to see, and then get their votes in,” says Marty.

“Tauranga is electing its city leadership for the first time in nearly five years and it’s important that as many people as possible vote, so that our new Council has a solid mandate from the electorate.”

Across the nine new wards, the Bethlehem ward is leading the way in the percentage of votes returned, so far:

Voting is even easier this election, with handy orange voting bins at more than 40 locations (including every supermarket) around Tauranga.

Residents can find their nearest voting bin by using the handy orange bin locator on Council’s election webpage. 

Tauranga uses the single transferrable vote system, which means voters rank their preferred candidates with a number, instead of putting a tick.

You can vote for as many or as few candidates as you wish. If your first pick doesn’t get the numbers and is eliminated from the contest, then your vote goes to your second pick, and so on until one candidate has a majority of votes.

Check out the Tauranga City Council video on how to vote here.

Not sure who to vote for? Watch short candidate videos on Council’s election webpage.