Manukau ward councillor Lotu Fuli is urging Papatoetoe voters to stay alert as nominations close for a by-election triggered after last year’s election was voided.
By Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata for Local Democracy Reporting
The Manukau District Court ruled last month that there were irregularities in the 2025 election, including postal ballots cast multiple times.
The judge found evidence of widespread electoral fraud and ordered a fresh vote for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.
Fuli said the court could order a new election – not change the voting method.
“It still has to be a postal vote,” she says. “The judge can’t change the voting system; he could only order a new election.”
She urged voters who do not receive their voting papers to act quickly. “If people don’t get their voting paper, they must do a special vote,” she said. “That’s the only honest way to make sure their vote gets counted.”
Fuli encouraged residents to report suspicious activity. “If you see something happening, take out your phone, film it, notify the police, and let us know so we can alert the returning officer,” she said.
Auckland Council confirmed the Papatoetoe by-election must again be conducted by postal vote under the Local Electoral Act 2021.
Oliver Roberts, the council’s head of governance programmes and policies, said candidates receive lists showing who has voted and who has not, a system that helped uncover last year’s irregularities.
"No system is bulletproof”, but he says elections have delivered "robust results for many years".
"Re-running the election is actually the first step in rebuilding trust in this process,” he said.
Voters who have not received their voting papers by March 21 could contact Election Services to confirm eligibility and cast a special vote at Papatoetoe or Manukau Library.
The council encouraged residents to watch for their papers and vote as soon as they arrived.
The estimated cost of rerunning the Papatoetoe subdivision election was around $200,000, including marketing.
Nominations opened on December 31, 2025 and close at midday on Wednesday, January28.
Candidates can submit online or using forms available from Papatoetoe and Manukau libraries, the electoral office, or via Vote Auckland.
Candidates must be New Zealand citizens, 18 years old or older, enrolled on the electoral roll, and have been eligible on August 1, 2025, the original nomination date.
Each nomination must be supported by two voters from the Papatoetoe subdivision and include a $200 deposit, refundable if the candidate polls more than 25% of the lowest successful candidate.
The final list of candidates will be announced shortly after nominations close, with profiles released closer to the start of voting.
The by-election will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, with voting opening Monday, March 9 and closing midday Thursday, April 9. Results will be announced on Friday, April 10.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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