Community-minded east Auckland residents are being urged to consider standing as candidates at next year’s local elections.
Up for grabs will be two seats representing the Howick ward on Auckland Council’s governing body and 11 seats on the Howick Local Board.
The board currently has nine elected members with three each representing the subdivisions of Howick, Pakuranga and Botany.
But the council is making changes to how the city’s residents are represented which will see the board grow next year to 11 members.
There will be three members each for Howick and Pakuranga while Botany will shrink from three to two and a new Flat Bush subdivision with three members will be created.
The council is urging locals to consider if they’re a community leader who has vision, focus and commitment to help the city achieve its goals as candidates are needed to put themselves forward for next year’s local elections.
Candidate nominations open on July 4 next year and close at midday on August 1.
Voting will be open from September 9 to October 11 with the final results announced from October 14-17.
Howick Local Board chairperson Damian Light says having the privilege of representing the community is “extremely rewarding”.
“We have an incredibly diverse population and playing a part in enabling them to succeed makes it all worth it.
“Our role is governance. We set the direction based on what our community tells us is important and then staff work to deliver it.
“There’s never enough time or money, so we need to prioritise and sometimes this means making some tough calls. It’s not easy and requires some time commitment.”
Light strongly recommends that anyone considering standing as a candidate attend the board’s business meetings or workshops, which will be open to the public from January 1 next year, to see how they work.
“But there’s more to it. Meeting and advocating for your community, receiving briefings on a wide range of issues, and attending events throughout the year.”
Experienced Howick Local Board member and former chairperson Adele White says a significant pre-requisite of the role is time flexibility.
“Board members must be available to prepare for, and attend board, stakeholder and community meetings, and our daytime workshops which provide information for important decision making.
“The time commitment for being a board member (except for the chair and deputy chair) is approximately 20 hours a week.
“An open mind to all aspects of our wider community is also essential, as is the willingness to be part of a productive public-facing team.
“It’s not a ‘hobby job’ and it’s a role you’ve got to put a lot into.”
Ward councillors earn a base annual remuneration of $111,782.
Local board members earn $31,141-$55,811 while a board chairperson receives $62,282-$111,623 and a deputy chairperson $37,369-$66,974.
