In a new Dunedin City Council initiative, voters in Ōtepoti Dunedin can now watch short videos of local election candidates answering key questions to help inform their voting decisions.
For the first time, all 56 candidates standing for Mayor and Council-at-large were given the opportunity to appear in a short candidate video ahead of this year’s elections.
Every candidate accepted the offer, and each answered the same three questions: what are your top priorities for Dunedin in the next three years, why do you think you are right for the role, and what do you see as the biggest opportunity on the horizon for Dunedin?
The videos are now online, and appear with candidate statements and photos at www.dunedin.govt.nz/candidates. The videos can also be viewed as a YouTube playlist: Elections 2025 - YouTube
DCC Deputy Electoral Officer, Robyn Dillon, says a lack of information about candidates is one reason people don’t vote, and the videos offer voters a chance to find out more about those standing for election.
“With such a large field of candidates putting their names forward this time around, we hope the videos are helpful for voters as they decide who to rank on their ballot papers,” she says. “Watching all 56 videos back-to-back will take around 80 minutes, so perhaps make an evening of it and see which candidates you would like to represent you.”
There are also various in-person candidate events being held around the city – you can find a list of these at Candidate events - Dunedin City Council.
Voting opens on 9 September and closes at 12 noon on Saturday, 11 October. Voting papers, with booklets featuring candidate photos and statements, will arrive in Dunedin mailboxes between 9 and 22 September for all voters who enrolled prior to 1 August.
Voters can still enrol on or before Friday, 10 October, via vote.nz – however, anyone enrolled after 1 August will need to cast a special vote.
For detailed information about how and where to vote, please visit www.dunedin.govt.nz/elections