Timeline released for Ashburton council by-election
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
A new Ashburton District Councillor should be known by May 12 at the latest.
That is if more than one candidate stands in the Western Ward by-election, but if only one candidate comes forward they will win the seat uncontested on March 16, and save an expensive by-election process.
The vacancy in the Western Ward follows the death of second-term Councillor Rodger Letham in December.
Council chief executive, Hamish Riach, said the community has the significant task of nominating and electing a candidate who can bring the same dedication and enthusiasm to the council table that Letham had.
The election dates won’t be official until the formal Notice of Election is issued in February Riach said, but he hoped releasing the details “will get people thinking about who might make a good candidate or to consider standing themselves”.
Under the planned timeline, a Notice of Election will be issued by the District’s Electoral Officer on February 13.
Nominations will then open from February 16 until March 16.
At that point, if only one eligible candidate is nominated they will win the election unopposed but if more than one eligible nomination is received, postal voting will open on April 20 and close at noon on May 12.
Riach said the timing meets statutory timeframes while avoiding a clash with the Easter period when many people would be travelling.
“We want our residents to have the best possible opportunity to make a considered choice about who will represent them,” he said.
In the recent election, both deputy mayor Liz McMillan and Letham were successful in their bid to be re-elected with Dame Lynda Topp the only other candidate that ran.
WHO CAN STAND
A candidate will need to be nominated by two electors who live inside the western ward, however, the candidate themselves can live anywhere in the country as long as they’re on the parliamentary electoral roll.
Riach is encouraging those who were new to the area, had moved recently, or didn’t receive voting papers during the October elections to check their enrolment details were up to date at vote.nz.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
-
62% Summer
-
36.5% Winter
-
1.5% Other - I'll share below
Loading…
