Resource material › STV Information
The Department's role in providing this information is to inform the public about the Single Transferable Voting system (STV) and the processes by which local authorities may choose to adopt it. For a concise summary of STV and how it works, go to: www.stv.govt.nz
- What is STV?
- When STV will be used in New Zealand?
- Which electoral system local authorities will use in 2013
- How to contact us
- See also: Local Elections for an explanation of the Department's role in local authority and district health board elections.
What is STV?
STV stands for Single Transferable Vote. In its simplest form, STV means that voters are able to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than simply pick their most preferred candidate for each vacancy. Meek's method has been selected as the system for counting votes in New Zealand STV elections.
Click here for: Until 2004, local authority elections were conducted using the FPP (First Past the Post) electoral system. (STV was used for elections to the Christchurch City Council in 1917, 1929, 1931 and 1933, and for Woolston Borough Council in 1917 and 1919. STV has also been used in some private capacities, such as the election of members to the Board of Directors and Shareholders Council of Fonterra). FPP was the system used to elect Members of Parliament until the introduction of MMP (Mixed Member Proportional) in 1996.
Click here for:
- a report to Parliament on the Christchurch Municipal Elections, 1917 (.pdf) 1.3m To read or print this document, you need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. You can download this program free from the Adobe site.
Click here for:
When will STV be used in New Zealand?
STV will be used to elect members of district health boards in 2013 and to elect members of 7 local authorities. See table below
District health board elections are held at the same time as local authority elections and are required to use STV, so all voters will have at least one STV election on their voting documents.
Local authorities include city, district and regional councils. Some areas also have licensing trusts. Local authorities had the option of adopting STV ahead of the elections in 2013. The Local Electoral Act 2001 sets out the steps that must be taken for STV to be adopted.
A guide for local authorities on this choice was prepared in 2008.
Click here for:
Which Electoral System Local Authorities will use in 2013
The following table shows the electoral system to be used by each local authority.
| First Past the Post |
Auckland Council Buller District Council Carterton District Council Central Hawkes Bay District Council Central Otago District Council Chatham Islands Council Christchurch City Council Clutha District Council Environment Bay of Plenty Environment Southland Environment Waikato Far North District Council Franklin District Council Gisborne District Council Gore District Council Grey District Council Hamilton City Council Hastings District Council Hauraki District Council Hawkes Bay Regional Council Horizons Regional Council Horowhenua District Council Hurunui District Council Hutt City Council Invercargill City Council Kaikoura District Council Kawerau District Council Manawatu District Council Masterton District Council Matamata Piako District Council McKenzie District Council Napier City Council Nelson City Council New Plymouth District Council Northland Regional Council Opotiki District Council Otago Regional Council Otorohanga District Council Palmerston North City Council Queenstown-Lakes District Council Rangitikei District Council Rotorua District Council Ruapehu District Council Selwyn District Council South Taranaki District Council South Waikato District Council South Wairarapa District Council Southland District Council Stratford District Council Taranaki Regional Counicl Tararua District Council Tasman District Council Taupo District Council Tauranga City Council Thames-Coromandel District Council Timaru District Council Upper Hutt City Council Waikato District Council Waimakariri District Council Waimate District Council Waipa District Council Wairoa District Council Waitaki District Council Waitomo District Council Wanganui District Council Wellington Regional Council West Coast Regional Council Western Bay of Plenty District Council Westland District Council Whakatane District Council Whangarei District Council |
| STV |
Kapiti Coast District Council Marlborough District Council Porirua City Council Wellington City Council Greater Wellington Council Palmerston North City Council |
Contact Us
If you have a query about STV, contact the Department of Internal Affairs stv@dia.govt.nz
