This month a series of ‘Meet the Candidates' events being hosted around the Bay are set to give voters multiple chances to ‘get to know' and ‘grill' their candidates in the local body elections.

Whether it be an opportunity for candidates to reveal their true aspirations for potential posts – or the chance for voters to uncover real agendas of their prospective councillors – all events will feature introduction and question-type formats.

First up is a ‘Meet the Candidates' night at Katikati this Monday, September 9, beginning 7pm at the Heritage Museum.

Katch Katikati promotions manager Jacqui Knight says she organised it 'because we think it's really important people know who they are voting for”.

All candidates for Bay of Plenty Regional Council's Western Bay constituency, Katikati Community Board and Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Katikati-Waihi Beach ward will attend – as will Western Bay Mayoralty candidates.

Candidates – excluding Mayoralty contenders – will speak to the community about themselves, and people can ask them questions during a supper break.

Mayoralty candidates will then speak and field questions from the floor. 'It's really important, with so many candidates standing, voters are well-educated on skills, strengths and abilities they can offer our community for the next three years,” says Jacqui.

For city voters, Citizens Advocacy Tauranga Inc is hosting an Election meeting on Tuesday night (September 10) from 7.30pm at Tauranga Girls' College hall.

Presented by Larry Mitchell, the night has topics of Tauranga City Council borrowings, core activities, rates, finances, iwi issues, leadership and governance.

All TCC candidates are invited – as is the public.

On Wednesday night (September 11), a ‘Meet the Candidates' evening is taking place from 6pm, at Village Hall in the Historic Village on 17th Ave.

Tauranga Regional Multicultural Council Inc president Ewa Fenn says her group has organised the event for the organisation's members and for newcomers to town to get to know candidates. 'We need to give people in our community the chance to ask questions of our prospective councillors,” says Ewa.

Tauranga City Mayoral candidates and prospective councillors for Tauranga City Council's Te Papa /Welcome Bay ward and Mount Maunganui/Papamoa ward have been invited to attend. While questions can be asked from the floor on the night, the public is being asked to send in questions for candidates prior to the event, by emailing: enquiries@trmc.co.nz

The meeting is a chance for voters to hear the candidates and ask questions in a friendly atmosphere, says Ewa.

On Saturday, September 14, from 10am Waihi Beach Lions Club has a morning ‘Meet the Candidates' at Waihi Beach Community Centre.

Lions secretary Derek Mills says contenders for Western Bay Mayoralty, WBOPDC's Katikati-Waihi Beach ward, BOPRC's Western Bay constituency, and the three people duly elected to Waihi Beach Community Board (a later by-election will elect a fourth member), will attend.

'We'll draw numbers for speaking order in candidate groups; they speak for three minutes, then each candidate will field questions from the public.”

Derek says people should attend, because 'everybody always complains about costs of rates, but if they do not elect people to look after these sorts of things they only have themselves to blame”.

Tauranga Art Gallery is hosting a ‘Meet the Local Body Election Candidates' night on Tuesday, September 24 from 6pm-7.30pm at its premises (corner of Willow and Wharf streets).

Hosted in conjunction with Creative Tauranga and Baycourt, it will be an opportunity for the arts community to hear a group of invited candidates address current issues around the arts in Tauranga.

Ten candidates have been invited to answer a variety of questions, and it will offer time for the public to ask questions and join in the conversation about the arts, or the wider picture about arts input into the local community.

Former Omokoroa Community Board chair Glenn Whittaker has organised a ‘Meet the Candidates' evening for the peninsula on Wednesday, September 25, from 7pm at Omokoroa Settlers' Hall.

All candidates standing for WBOPDC Mayoralty and Kaimai ward, BOPRC's Western Bay constituency, and Omokoroa Community Board's four new members (elected after closed nominations offered no challengers) will attend.

'Everybody will get to speak; they will be timed with a 30 second warning. At the end, if we have time, we'll open the floor for questions,” says Glenn.

Maketu's Syd Rowe says a meeting for his area is in the pipeline, plus individual candidates are setting their own meetings throughout the Western Bay district.

Candidates' self-initiated meetings include:

Mark Boyle (Western Bay Mayoralty):

September 11:

Flat White Cafe, Waihi Beach, 10.30am; Whakaue Marae, Maketu, 6.30pm .

September 12: Paengaroa Community Hall, 6.30pm.

September 16: Pongakawa Hall, 6.30pm.

September 17: Waihi Beach Hotel, 6.30pm.

September 18: The Hipi Pippy, Pukehina Beach, 6.30pm.

September 19: Settlers Lounge, Te Puke War Memorial Hall, 6.30pm.

September 24: Waihi Beach Hotel, 6.30pm.

Richard Moore (Tauranga City Council):

September 13: Papamoa Library 7pm-8pm.