Northlanders have 235 candidates to choose from when local government election voting starts in just over a month.

Candidate nominations closed at noon on Friday for seats on the Whangārei District Council (WDC), Far North District Council (FNDC), Kaipara District Council (KDC) and Northland Regional Council (NRC).

The provisional lineup includes 21 candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to become one of Northland’s three new mayors from October 8 when voting closes.

Voting opens on Friday, September 16.

The FNDC has nine mayoral candidates, Whangārei has seven and KDC has six.

NRC’s chair will be selected from its new council lineup after the elections.

The 235 candidates are a mix of contenders hoping to become mayors, regional and district councillors, Far North community board members and Māori ward representatives.

FNDC has 144 candidates, WDC has 46, KDC, 31 and NRC has 14.

Māori ward voting will be part of the upcoming local government elections for the first time.

There are 29 Māori ward candidates across district councils.

FNDC has 18 candidates for four seats on its Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward, WDC has six candidates for two seats on its Whangārei District Māori Ward, and KDC has five candidates for one seat on its Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward.

Two mayoral candidates are standing in their councils’ Māori ward as well.
The remainder also standing as a councillor are doing so in councils’ general wards.

However, NRC has only one candidate for the two seats on its new Te Raki Māori Constituency.

WDC’s new Whangārei Urban General Ward, combining its former Denby and Okara wards, has the most over-subscribed candidate numbers with 19 candidates competing for five seats.

FNDC’s Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward will see 12 candidates vying for three seats. KDC’s new Wairoa General Ward will see nine candidates vying for three seats.

A number of candidates are currently sitting elected representatives, but there is a major influx of other would-be candidates.

The new candidates include former councillors and mayoral candidates. FNDC Community Board members have also migrated to standing for the council too.

The number of vacancies is in brackets.

Whangārei District Council:

Mayor:
Mike Budd, Vince Cocurullo, Ken Couper, Brad Flower, Fiona Green, Nick Jacob, Shaquille Shortland.

Councillors:
Whangārei Urban General Ward (5) Alan Brown, Vince Cocurullo, Crichton Christie, Nicholas Hunter Connop, Paul Doherty, Graeme Gallagher, Jayne Golightly, Fiona Green, Irene Haskell, Glen McMillan, Marie Olsen, Carol Peters, Isopu Samu, Shaquille Shortland, Jesse Titford, Hazley Windelborn, Stephen Wood, Adam Young, Paul Yovich; Bream Bay General Ward (2) Steve Bean, Ken Couper, Phil Halse, Shilane Shirkey; Hikurangi-Coastal General Ward (2) Gavin Benney, Brad Flower, Greg Jeeves, Greg Martin, Scott McKenzie, Tracey Thomasson; Mangakahia-Maungatapere General Ward (1) Simon John Reid, Iain Robertson; Whangārei Heads General Ward (1) David Blackley, Patrick Holmes; Whangārei District Māori Ward (2) Deb Harding, Pauline Hopa, Simon Mitchell, Phoenix Ruka, Zhairn Zee Tana, Nicki Wakefield .

Far North District Council:

Mayor:
Jaqi Brown, Ann Court, Clinton Dearlove, Kevin Middleton, Joshua Riley, Kelly Stratford, Rachel Witana, Moko Tepania, John Vujcich.

Councillors:
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Ward (3) Richard Aston, Ann Court, Robert Eady, Pierre Fernandes, Garth Rodney Anthony Holder, Jane Johnston, Annette Main, Frank Owen, Rachel Smith, Kelly Stratford, Belinda Ward, Ben Warren; Te Hiku General Ward (2) Darren Carl Axe, Dave Collard, Melanie Cher Dalziel, Felicity Foy, Adele Gardner, John Matthews, Paul McLaren, Mate Radich, Joshua Riley; Kaikohe-Hokianga General Ward (1) Vanessa Edmonds, Amanda Phillips, Alisha Mercedes Riley, John Vujcich; Ngā Tai o Tokerau Māori Ward (4 ) Clinton Dearlove, Hilda Halkyard-Harawira; Boyd Hohepa; Babe Kapa; Penetaui Kieskovic, Nyze Manuel, Sam Napia, Tarei Patuwairua, Reina Tuai Penney, Mina Paula Pomare-Peita, Tamati Rākena, Manuera Moko Riwai, Diane Rodgers, Pania Sigley. Adrienne Ani Tari, Moko Tepania. Rachel Witana, Rhonda Zielenski-Toki.

Community Boards:
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board (7) Kerikeri subdivision (2) Harley Alexander, Lane Ayr, John Morris, Frank Owen, Amy Slack; Kawakawa-Moerewa subdivision (1) Antoinette Jade Donovan, Roddy Hapati Pihema; Paihia subdivision (1) Jane Johnston, Rosemary Rodgers, Belinda Ward; Russell-Opua subdivision (1) Jane Hindle; Waipapa subdivision (1) Tyler Bamber; Whangaroa subdivision (1) Bruce Mills.

Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board (6) Kaikohe subdivision (3) Mike Edmonds, Trinity Edwards; Megan Kelly-Ann Hepi, Scarlet Mokaraka, Amanda Phillips, Shaun Reilly; Chicky Rudkin; North Hokianga subdivision (1) Harmonie Everitt Gundry, Ann-Marie Houng Lee, William Roy McCready, Ruth Strathdee; South Hokianga subdivision (2) Emma Elizabeth Davis, Tania Filia, Alan Philip Hessell, Jessie McVeagh, Nopera Pikari, Te Arani Ngaronoa Te Haara.

Te Hiku Community Board (6) Kaitāia subdivision (3) Rachel Leigh Baucke, Adele Gardner; Linda Jay Steffen,John William Matheson Stewart; Doubtless Bay subdivision (1) Sheryl Fiona Bainbridge; Bill Campbell; North Cape subdivision (1) Darren Carl Axe, Josephine Nathan; Whatuwhiwhi subdivision (1) Karena Hita, William Joseph Subritzky.

Kaipara District Council:

Mayor:
Victoria del la Varis-Woodcock, Craig Jepson, Karen Joce-Paki, Brenden Nathan, Ash Nayyar, Gordon Walker.

Councillors:
Kaiwaka-Mangawhai General Ward (3) Dennis Emsley, Mike Ferguson, Mike Howard, Jonathan Larsen, Misty Sansom, Martina Tschirky, Rachael Williams; Wairoa General Ward (3); Mark Ancrum, Karen Joyce-Paki, Gordon Lambeth, Alec Melville, Brenden Nathan, Josephine Nathan, Ash Nayyar, Jay Tane, Eryn Wilson-Collins; Otamatea General Ward (2) Graham Allott, Ron Manderson, Chris ‘Worzel’ Sellars, Mark Gregory Vincent; Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori Ward (1) Phillip Johnson, Henry Holyoake, Brenden Nathan, Pera Paniora, Paturiri Toautu.

Northland Regional Council:

Constituencies:
Bay of Islands-Whangāroa General Constituency (1) Peter Gill, Tania McInnes, Marty Robinson; Coastal Central General Constituency (1) Paul Anthony Dimery, Amy Macdonald; Coastal South General Constituency (1) Rick Stolwerk; Far North General Constituency (1) Justin Blaikie, Joe Carr; Kaipara General Constituency (1) John Blackwell, Penny Smart; Mid North General Constituency (1) Geoff Crawford; Whangārei Central General Constituency (1) Jack Craw, Tony Savage; Te Raki Māori Constituency (2) Peter-Lucas Jones.

The above candidate lists were provisional at edition time.

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air