While some councils in New Zealand have been struggling for candidates for this year’s local body elections, the Gore District Council isn’t one of them.

At the close of nominations today there were sufficient nominations to require an election for the mayoralty, the Gore ward, District-wide and the Mataura Community Board.

Incumbent Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks is seeking re-election for his seventh term as mayor. Also running for the mayoralty is first time candidate Ben Bell.

In the Gore ward there are nine nominations for the five seats. Four of those are sitting councillors – Glenys Dickson, Nick Grant, Bret Highsted and Bronwyn Reid.

There has been strong interest in the Mataura Community Board with 10 people contesting the five seats. Steve Boko Dixon is the only encumbent board member seeking re-election.

Voting papers and information about the candidates will be mailed out to Gore District Council electors on Friday 16 September.

Voting will close at midday on Saturday 8 October.

Where the number of candidates does not exceed the number of vacancies, the candidates are automatically elected and no election process will be required for these positions.

Where there are fewer candidates than vacancies available, an extraordinary vacancy arises and where required, the electoral officer will advertise a separate by-election process in

November to fill those remaining positions.

Nominations received by the Gore District electoral officer by noon today were:

Mayoralty (1 vacancy)

• Ben Bell (Team Hokonui) – nominated by Lester Paisley & Diane Stringer

• Tracy Hicks – nominated by Ian Tulloch & Annie Nelson

Gore Ward (5 vacancies)

• Glenys Dickson – nominated by Peter Goodger & Ann La Hood

• Nick Grant – nominated by Mary Ogg QSO & Glenn Puna

• Bret Highsted – nominated by Stephen Coyle & Karl Metzler

• Robert (Caveman) McKenzie (Team Hokonui) – nominated by John McIntyre & Richard Gaudion

• Paul McPhail – nominated by Bronwyn Reid & Douglas Grant

• Stephen McStay – nominated by Gregory Caughey & Peter Nicholson

• Bronwyn Reid – nominated by Margaret Macgregor & Noeline McDiarmid

• Janeen Reti (Team Hokonui) – nominated by Aaron Broekhoff & Kirsty Smith

• Reuben Turipa – nominated by Jackie Morgan & Yvonne McRae

District-wide ( 3 vacancies)

• Liz Adams-Gray – nominated by Lynette Tattersall & Veronica Adams

• Steven Boko Dixon – nominated by Wayne Neiman & Susan Neiman

• Keith Hovell (Positive Change) – nominated by Ian Davidson-Watts & Rena Butel

• Richard McPhail – nominated by Michael O'Neill QSM & Ann La Hood

• Joe Stringer (Team Hokonui) – nominated by Stuart Davie & Adam Newton

Waikaka ward (1 vacancy)

• John Gardyne – nominated by Dougal Stringer & Robert Irwin

Kaiwera-Waimumu ward (1 vacancy)

• Stewart MacDonell – nominated by Peter Hargest & Graham Sharp

Mataura ward (1 vacancy)

• Neville Phillips – nominated by Wayne Murray & Murray Scobie

Mataura Community Board (5 vacancies)

• Gina Adcock – nominated by Scott Bradbury & Amy Bartlett

• Nicky Coats – nominated by Elese Lucassen & Anna Kaui

• Steve Boko Dixon – nominated by Linda Sinclair & Susan Taylor

• Darren Matahiki – nominated by Maria Pera & Amelia Conroy

• Matu-Taera – nominated by Fona Ramage & Darren Matahiki

• Tanya Rowling – nominated by Linda Sinclair & Susan Taylor

• Melissa Storer – nominated by Luke Bartlett & Averial Duncan

• Colleen Te Au – nominated by Maria Pera & Amelia Conroy

• Laurel Turnbull – nominated by Karon Turipa & Kathleen Cowan

• Constance Waihape – nominated by Amelia Conroy & Z'varnah Roberts

Mataura Licensing Trust

Ward 1 Tapanui (1 vacancy)

• Horace McAuley – nominated by Bruce Hanna & Suzanne Wink

Ward 2 Gore (3 vacancies)

• Jimmy Allison – nominated by Reymond Rankin & John Tutty

• Bryan Bunny Burgess – nominated by Paul Carroll & Mark Robinson

• Alan Byrne – nominated by Donald McDougall & Drewe Carran

• Craig Marshall _ nominated by Lee-Anne Hewlett & Joanne McConnell

Ward 3 Mataura (1 vacancy)

• Brendon (Moe) Murray – nominated by Mark Hunter & Callum Sinclair

• Colleen Te Au – nominated by Maria Pera & Constance Waihape

Ward 4 Rural (1 vacancy)

• Vince Aynsley – nominated by Anthony Copland & Andrew Tripp

Ward 5Edendale (1 vacancy)

• Jeannine Cunningham – nominated by Jennifer Coyle & Brent Shepherd

Ward 6Wyndham (1 vacancy)

• Marc Robertson – nominated by Mark Isaacs & Corrina Medley

Ward 7 Tokanui (1 vacancy)

• Todd Lyders – nominated by Philip Golden & William Brunton

Gore & Districts Health Inc

Gore ward (4 vacancies)

• Peter Alexander Grant – nominated by Ronald Bannerman & Angela Osborne

• Rebecca Tayler – nominated by Mishel Kaaplan & Shanna Crosbie

Clutha Ward (1 vacancy)

• Cecil Crawford – nominated by Barbara Hanna & Barry Munro

Southland Ward (1 vacancy)

• No nominations have yet been received