What you need to know
- Nearly 3500 candidates are standing for more than 1500 positions at 78 city, district, regional and unitary councils.
- Early results suggest Auckland's Wayne Brown and Christchurch's Phil Mauger have been re-elected in the major centres.
- More than half of the councils voting today – 37 city or district and five regional – were also holding binding referendums on whether to keep or remove their Māori wards or constituencies.
- Progress results, which cover around 85% of votes cast, will be released throughout the afternoon.
