Voters have until midday tomorrow to have their say on who will lead their district and region.

There are 55 people running for 33 positions on the Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

Eight people are vying for mayor and three to be the district’s first Waka Kai Uru Māori ward councillor.

Western Bay residents will vote for a mayor, their ward councillors, and – except Matakana Island and Rangiwaea Island – their community board representatives.

Voters will also decide whether to keep the Māori ward for the 2028 and 2031 elections through a referendum.

Tauranga voters sit out the city council elections this year but have a say in who their Bay of Plenty Regional Council representatives will be.

Tauranga voters have 18 options to choose from to fill five vacancies, with four candidates for the two Western Bay seats and three for the Mauao Māori seat.

It’s too late to vote by mail, that deadline passed on Tuesday.

Bright orange voting bins can be found in libraries and supermarkets across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. Photo / Linda Hall

Where to vote

Voting papers should have arrived in the mailboxes of enrolled voters.

Completed voting papers can be dropped in the orange voting bins at supermarkets, council offices or libraries.

There are bins located across the Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga.

Voting bin locations

Waihī Beach/Katikati

Te Ara Mātauranga Waihī Beach

The Centre Katikati–Pātuki Manawa

Four Square Waihī Beach

Woolworths Katikati

Four Square Katikati

Ōmokoroa/Whakamarama/Te Puna

Ōmokoroa Library and Service Centre

Ōmokoroa Beach Store

FreshChoice Ōmokoroa

Whakamarama General Store

Four Square Te Puna

Ōhauiti/Welcome Bay/Oropi

Four Square Ōhauiti

Four Square Welcome Bay

Waimapu Garage Oropi

Maketū/Te Puke

Te Puke Library and Service Centre

Maketū Landing

Woolworths Te Puke

New World Te Puke

Poutiri Wellness Centre

Tauranga

Barkes Corner WBOP council head office.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council office, Regional House

Tauranga Library He Puna Manawa

Pak’nSave Cameron Rd

Woolworths Cameron Rd

Woolworths Fraser Cove

Woolworths Bureta Park

New World Brookfield

Greerton Library

Fresh Choice Greerton

Fresh Choice Pyes Pa

Pak’nSave Tauriko

Woolworths Bethlehem

Mount Maunganui/Pāpāmoa

Bayfair Shopping Centre and Woolworths

New World Mount Maunganui

Mount Maunganui Library

Pāpāmoa Library

Woolworths Pāpāmoa

Special voting

Residents who did not receive their voting papers, or have lost or damaged them, can still cast a special vote. This also applies to voters who enrolled after August 1.

Enrolled Western Bay residents can cast a special vote at Western Bay council library and service centres.

Special voting is open until 5pm Friday and from 9am until voting closes at noon on Saturday.

In Tauranga, special votes for the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Tauranga General and Mauao Māori constituencies can be cast at the regional council offices until 5pm Friday and Saturday 8am-noon.

Today is the last chance to enrol to vote if you are aged 18 years and older, are a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and live or own property in the electorate.

This can be done on the vote.nz website, or call 0800 3676 56 for help.

People cannot enrol on election day.

How to vote

Western Bay and the regional council use the first past the post voting system.

For multi-member constituencies, people can vote for as many candidates as there are seats available.

The candidates with the most votes win the seats.

For the referendum, voters will tick one statement on the voting papers to keep or remove Māori wards.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.