Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / Liu Chen
Voting has closed in the closely watched Papatoetoe local body election, with preliminary results expected later today.
Final results are expected to be confirmed on Friday once special votes have been counted.
The new election was triggered after a District Court ruling in December voided the 2025 Papatoetoe subdivision result due to irregularities in some ballot papers, sending voters back to the polls to reselect their local representatives.
The legal challenge, lodged under the Local Electoral Act by former Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board deputy chair Lehopoaome Vi Hausia, alleged statistical anomalies in turnout, misuse of ballot papers, irregularities involving special votes, discrepancies in voter records, unlawful campaign activity and broader weaknesses in the postal voting model.
Papatoetoe was the only Auckland electorate to record a significant rise in turnout in the 2025 local body elections, with participation increasing by more than 7 percent to 31.6 percent overall at a time when other areas recorded declines.
None of the previous members were returned in the 2025 election, with all four seats going to first-time candidates from the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team, a result the petition argued was inconsistent with historic voting patterns.
A separate legal challenge followed in February, when four winning candidates from the voided election sought a High Court judicial review.
After a hearing on 17 February, the High Court upheld the District Court’s decision to void the result.
Voting in the new election opened on March 9, closing at midday today.
As of Wednesday, 7125 voting papers have been returned – just 20.2 percent of eligible voters.
Turnout is now tracking lower than at the same point in last year’s voided election, which reached 25.7 percent the day before voting closed.
Turnout had been comparatively closer in the lead-up to the long Easter weekend, with 18 percent of eligible voters casting ballots through 2 April against 18.2 percent at the same point last year.
However, ballot returns nosedived over the four-day Easter break, increasing just 0.85 percent over that period.
“Vote on the Go” events, which were held during last year’s ballot, have not been included in the latest election.
Lou-Ann Ballantyne, general manager of governance and engagement at Auckland Council said by-election voter turnout was generally lower than the triennial elections, averaging about 15 percent in the last three larger by-elections.
“The latest vote count (on 8 April) shows 20.21 percent returns, so turnout in this election is set to be higher than recent by-elections,” Ballantyne said.
The new election features eight new candidates alongside 12 who contested last year’s vote.
Only one candidate chose not to stand again after nominations closed on 28 January.
Dale Ofsoske, managing director at Election Services, said two incidents had been flagged with police during the election period.
“In one ‘voting irregularity’, we had an instance where a person attempted to vote more than once. As this is illegal, we referred this to police,” Ofsoske said.
“We had one other instance where a ticket used incorrect statistics in their promotional flyer which could be viewed as misleading so was also referred to police.”
In October, police confirmed they were making enquiries after receiving complaints of alleged electoral fraud in the area.
On Wednesday, police told RNZ the investigation remained ongoing.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
