When to vote
- Voting closes at midday on Saturday 11 October 2025.
- The deadline for special votes is midday Saturday 11 October 2025 as long as you are on the electoral roll. You have until midnight Friday 10 October to update your details via vote.nz or enrol.
No voting pack? No problem
You can still vote in the local election and Maaori Ward Poll.
Just go to Hamilton City Council or any of our Hamilton City Libraries.
Ask for a special vote, and our friendly team will give you a hand.
Where to vote
Return your voting paper by dropping it in an orange vote box. You can do this right up until midday on Saturday 11 October 2025. See locations below.
Do not post your vote in the mail after 7 October as it will not be counted.
If you have your voting papers
Drop your orange envelope at any of these locations until midday Saturday 11 October 2025:
- Museum – Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, 1 Grantham Street
- Anglesea Pharmacy, 9 Thackeray Street
- Waterworld, 61 Garnett Ave
- Fairfield Pharmacy, 1007 Heaphy Terrace
- Frankton Pharmacy, 161 Commerce Street
- Hamilton Gardens, Hungerford Crescent
- Unichem Pharmacy, 354 Grey Street
- Hillcrest Pharmacy, 153 Cambridge Road
- Gallagher Aquatic Centre, 20 Collins Road
- Unichem Rototuna Pharmacy, 44 Horsham Downs Road
- NorthCare Pharmacy, 10B Pukete Road
If you don't have your voting papers
No worries! Ask for a special vote, and our friendly team will give you a hand. The deadline for special votes is midday Saturday 11 October 2025 as long as you are on the electoral roll. You have until midnight Friday 10 October 2025 to update your details via vote.nz or enrol. Here are the special vote locations:
- Hamilton City Council (front counter), 260 Anglesea St
- Central Library, 9 Garden Place
- Chartwell Library, 5 Lynden Court
- Dinsdale Library, 22 Dinsdale Road
- Glenview Library, MacDonald Road
- Rototuna Library, Te Kete Aronui, 30 North City Road
- St Andrews Library, Braid Road
- University of Waikato Library (Hamilton Campus), Hillcrest Road.
Orange vote box locations
Central city
- Hamilton City Council (front counter), 260 Anglesea St
- Central Library, 9 Garden Place
- Rainbow Hub Waikato, Level 1/36 Bryce Street
- Centre Place, Bryce St (Pop-up voting! Pop-up voting! These times only: 9am – 6pm on Tuesday 30 September and 9am – 7pm on Thursday 2 October)
- Museum – Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, 1 Grantham St
- Anglesea Pharmacy, 9 Thackeray Street
- Woolworths Bridge Street, Cnr Bridge and Anglesea Street (Pop-up voting! These times only: 10am – 2pm on Sunday 21 September and 2.30 – 5.30pm on Wednesday 1 October)
- Pak n Save Clarence Street, Clarence Street (Pop-up voting! These times only: 2.30 – 5.30pm on Monday 15 September and 2.30 – 5.30pm on Monday 22 September)
Chartwell
- Chartwell Library, 5 Lynden Court
- Chartwell Shopping Centre, 201 Hukanui Rd (Pop-up voting! These times only: 9am – 6pm on Wednesday 1 October and 9am – 9pm on Thursday 2 October)
Claudelands
- Settlement Centre Waikato, 46G Boundary Rd
- Woolworths Claudelands, 160 Peachgrove Road (Pop-up voting! These times only: 2.30-5.30pm on Thursday 25 September and 10am – 2pm on Sunday 28 September)
Dinsdale
- Dinsdale Library, 22 Dinsdale Rd
Flagstaff
- Fresh Choice Flagstaff, Flagstaff Shopping Centre, 6/1158 River Road (Pop-up voting! 2.30 – 5.30pm on Thursday 25 September only
Forest Lake
- Waterworld, 61 Garnett Ave
Fairfield/Enderley
- Fairfield Community House – Te Whare o te Ata, 214 Clarkin Rd
- Te Papanui Enderley Community Centre, 66 Tennyson Rd
- Te Kōhao Health, 47 Tennyson Rd
- Fairfield Pharmacy – 1007 Heaphy Tce
Frankton
- Frankton Pharmacy, 161 Commerce Street
Glenview
- Glenview Library, MacDonald Rd
- Glenview Community Centre, 12 Tomin Rd
- New World Glenview, Ohaupo Road, Glenview (Pop-up voting! These times only: 10am – 2pm on Sunday 21 September and 2.30 – 5.30pm on Friday 26 September)
Hamilton East
- Hamilton Gardens, Hungerford Crescent
- Te Kōhao Health, 951 Wairere Dr
- Unichem Pharmacy, 354 Grey St
- Waimarie – Hamilton East Community House, 53 Wellington St
Hillcrest
- University of Waikato Library, Hillcrest Rd, Hamilton Campus
- Hillcrest Pharmacy, 153 Cambridge Rd
Melville
- Gallagher Aquatic Centre, 20 Collins Rd
- Melville Community House, 58 Bader St
Nawton
- Western Community Centre, 46 Hyde Ave
- Good News Community Centre, 8 Breckons Ave
Parkwood/Gordonton
- Fresh Choice Parkwood, 4 Gordonton Road (Pop-up voting! These times only: 10am – 2pm on Saturday 20 September)
- Tui Medical Pharmacy, 6A Gordonton Rd
Rototuna
- Rototuna Library – Te Kete Aronui, 30 North City Rd
- Unichem Rototuna Pharmacy, 44 Horsham Downs Rd
- New World Rototuna, 44 Horsham Downs Rd (Pop-up voting! 2.30-5.30pm on Wednesday 1 October Only
- Woolworths St James, Cnr Thomas & Hukanui Roads (Pop-up voting! 2.30 – 5.30pm on Friday 26 September only
Te Rapa
- New World Te Rapa, 751 Te Rapa Road (Pop-up voting! These times only: 2.30 – 5.30pm on Tuesday 30 September)
- Woolworths Te Rapa, 8 Eagle Way, Pukete (Pop-up voting! These times only: 10am – 2pm on Saturday 27 September)
St Andrews/Pukete
- St Andrews Library, Braid Rd
- Pukete Neighbourhood House, 43 Church Rd
- The Base Te Awa - Te Rapa Rd ( Pop-up voting! Last Day Sunday 5 October 9am to 5pm - we are right out side JB HiFi in Te Awa)
- Te Rūnanga o Kirikiriroa, 59 Higgins Rd
- NorthCare Pharmacy, 10B Pukete Rd
Whitiora
- Pak n Save Mill Street, Mill Street (Pop-up voting! October and 10am – 2pm on Sunday 5 October)
Find your closest voting location
- Orange pins with a vote box show vote box locations.
- Orange pins with a silhouette show vote box locations that also offer special votes.
Check the map below to see where you can vote.
Who is standing for Mayor and Council?
To learn about who is standing, you can:
How to vote for Mayor and Council
All local council elections are held by postal vote. That means you’ll get your voting pack in the mail.
Hamilton Kirikiriroa uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. Instead of ticking a box, you rank candidates in order of preference.
Another way of describing this voting is “Rank and Return.”
Rank the candidates
On your voting paper, rank the candidates in order of your preference.
Here’s how. Just write a number next to each candidate:
1 next to your top choice,
2 next to your second choice,
3 for your third choice, and so on.
You don’t need to rank every candidate – just don’t skip numbers (e.g. go from number 1 to 3 and miss out on number 2) or use the same number twice.
Return your voting papers
Return your voting paper by simply dropping it in an orange vote box.
How to vote in the Maaori Ward poll
This year, a binding poll is also happening alongside the election.
The voting paper will contain a simple, binding poll question:
“I vote to KEEP Maaori wards”
or
“I vote to REMOVE Maaori wards”
Just tick the box next to your answer and return your voting paper.
Practise voting
Want to give voting a try? You can practise here.
Book our Voting Van
We’re breaking down barriers by bringing voting services directly to the community.
From 9 September to midday 11 October 2025, our Voting Van will be travelling across the city. We’ll be visiting workplaces, community events, and other local meeting places to help people vote and provide support for those who need to cast a special vote.
We’re inviting businesses, organisations, and community groups to host us. Whether it’s a staff morning tea, a neighbourhood gathering or a weekend event, we want to be there to make voting simple, inclusive, and accessible.
We’ll bring electoral officials who can help with special voting if you didn’t receive your voting pack, or if you’ve lost it.
What you can do:
- Get in early to book a visit. Spaces are limited and confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Let your community know we’re coming and encourage them to bring their completed voting papers.
- Make sure the space is politically neutral. We can only attend events without promotion of candidates or positions on the Maaori Ward Poll.
To request a visit, email elections@hcc.govt.nz with your event details or location.
Which ward do I live in?
Hamilton City Council is comprised of the Mayor and 14 councillors (six East General Ward, six West General Ward and two Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward).
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If you live on the east side of the river, you are voting in the East General Ward.
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If you live on the west side of the river, you are voting in the West General Ward.
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If you are enrolled on the Maaori roll, you are voting in the Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward.
Click on the map below to enlarge it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether I am enrolled to vote?
You can check and update your enrolment details at vote.nz.
I turn 18 on Election Day, can I vote?
Yes! But first, you need to make sure you have enrolled, which you can do provisionally from the age of 17 and it automatically updates when you turn 18.
If you do this, you will just need to complete a special vote. It’s easy! Just go to Hamilton City Council or any of our libraries.
Where can I view the electoral roll?
You can view the electoral roll at Hamilton City Council or any of our libraries.
What accessible voting support is available for voters with disabilities?
Everyone has the right to participate in Hamilton City Council’s local election and the Maaori Ward Poll 2025.
How to vote if you have not received your voting pack
If you do not have a voting pack, you can ask for a ‘special vote’. Our friendly team can help you with special voting.
Accessing election information
The Hamilton City Council website is screen reader-compatible and achieved a 100 accessibility score under Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA Standards. It’s designed to work with NVDA screen readers, making it easier to navigate and find what you need.
NZSL
We have an NZSL translation of election information available at hamilton.govt.nz/vote or on YouTube.
Voting support
Under the Local Electoral Act 2001, an elector who is physically impaired, visually impaired or for whom English is a second language, can direct a person to assist them to vote. The person assisting must only act as directed by the elector.
Let us know if you need support with the voting process. Our trained electoral officials will be happy to provide support.
Telephone voting available for electors with disabilities
Telephone voting will be available for electors with disabilities. To access this service, electors will need to call the Electoral Office on 0800 922 822.
What's the Maaori Ward Poll 2025?
A binding poll will take place alongside the Hamilton City Council election for our Mayor and Councillors in October. The binding poll on Maaori wards is compulsory for most councils in New Zealand. Its purpose is to enable communities to decide whether they want Maaori wards. Find out more at hamilton.govt.nz/poll.
Need help?
Electoral Officer