The Inaugural Waipa District Council meeting was held on the 23rd October 2001, at which Peter Lee was elected Deputy Mayor.

Congratulations to all successful candidates!

Background Story: Election a First

This election, for the first time, candidate profiles were distributed with voting papers to assist voters make their selections. The profiles were in the "Instruction Booklet & Candidate Directory" pictured left.

The profiles were also available right here at Te Awamutu Online -- see below.

This initiative was made possible by recent law changes regarding Local Government elections. Alison Hall, Waipa Electoral Officer, has been working with the Society of Local Government Managers to draft new legislation which came into effect in July this year.

"The Local Electoral Act 2001 replaces the outdated Election & Polls Act 1976 which was geared toward booth voting." says Alison. "The new act is much more flexible. The election process is now governed by regulations rather than legislation, meaning that changes are easier to make. In the the future elections are likely to use telephones, the internet and other technologies. We need to be able to adapt."

Traditionally Waipa has had a below-average voter turnout for local elections. Alison hopes that the new regime will encourage more people to vote by helping them to be more informed.