Lorde has been "told off" after sharing a filled-out Auckland mayoral ballot with her 9.5 million followers on Instagram.
On Tuesday morning, the pop star posted the ballot to her story on the social media platform with one candidate ticked. "I'm proud to be voting (...) for Mayor of Auckland," the photo was captioned, giving the name of the candidate.
"Local election turnout is low as always - get out there - your community needs you."
The shared image came from a different account, the story has been taken down, and the account the image was shared from appears to have been deleted. In a new story, posted around 11am, Lorde addressed the error.
"Ok, so the Electoral Commission told me off because you're not allowed to post anything about who you're gonna vote for or show voting papers," she said. "So, uh, you know - post still applies... Get out there."
The word "VOTE" was written across the new video five times.
Under the Local Electoral Act, fines of up to $5000 can be issued to a person who publishes a document "being or purporting to be in imitation of any voting document" that "includes the name of a candidate or candidates, together with any direction or indication as to the candidate or candidates for whom any person should vote".
Links to more information on candidates standing in your area can be found on the relevant local government website. Links to all local bodies can be found here: https://www.lgnz.co.nz/local-government-in-nz/new-zealands-councils/
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