Voting: Why bother?

The decisions made around the council table impact us more directly than those made at central government level. So why do so few people vote in the local elections and what can be done to get more people involved in local politics? This September and October, New Zealanders go to the polls to choose the people who will represent them in local government for the next three years. While voter turnout at the last general election in 2017 was 79%, nationwide turnout at the last local election in 2016 was 43%. In Auckland it was even lower, with just 38.5% of Aucklanders choosing to vote. And yet local government affects nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Auckland’s mayor, councillors and local board members make decisions on everything from rubbish collections, libraries and playgrounds to the public transport system that moves us around the city and the amount we pay in rates. Join us at Auckland Conversations as actor, writer, director and comedian Oscar Kightley leads a panel to discuss why in his words, local elections, ‘are just so damned important’ and what could be done to improve voter turnout.