The 2001 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

officials. The elections are notable for being the inaugural elections for district health board members. The elections were held on Saturday, 13 October, as prescribed in the Local Electoral Act 2001.

Election date

The Local Electoral Act 2001 received ascent in May 2001. It stipulated under section 10 that "the next triennial general election of members of every local authority and community board is on 13 October 2001" and furthermore, that "a general election of members of every local authority, local board, or community board must be held on the second Saturday in October in every third year" thereafter.

Voting system

The 2001 local elections were the last occasion when

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

(FPP) was used exclusively. From the 2004 elections onwards,

territorial authorities Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a ...

and regional councils could choose between FPP and the

single transferable vote Single transferable vote (STV) is a multi-winner electoral system in which voters cast a single vote in the form of a ranked-choice ballot. Voters have the option to rank candidates, and their vote may be transferred according to alternate p ...

(STV) method. District health board elections had to use STV from 2004 and were changed to

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...

elections.

District health boards

District health boards (DHBs) were established in January 2001 through the

New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000 New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. At that time, the 21 DHBs had their boards appointed by the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

Annette King Dame Annette Faye King (née Robinson, born 13 September 1947) is a former New Zealand politician. She served as Deputy Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 2008 to 2011, and from 2014 until 1 March 20 ...

. Each board has up to eleven members and seven of those are elected in local elections. As defined in section 7 of the Local Electoral Act 2001, board members for DHBs are to be elected as part of the local elections. The 2001 local elections were thus the inaugural elections for the country's then 21 DHBs. Elections were based on candidacies in local wards.

Results

Mayoral elections

Around 34 of the country's 74 mayoralties changed through the 2001 elections. The most notable contest happened in

Auckland City Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...

, where

John Banks John Banks or Bankes may refer to: Politics and law *Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet (1627–1699), English merchant and Member of Parliament * John Banks (American politician) (1793–1864), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *John Gray Banks (188 ...

ousted

Christine Fletcher Christine Elizabeth Fletcher (née Lees, born 25 January 1955) is a New Zealand politician. Currently an Auckland Council councillor, she was previously a National Party Member of Parliament from 1990 to 1999, and served one term as Mayor of A ...

. Other cities that had their mayors unseated were

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

(

David Braithwaite David Joseph Braithwaite (16 April 1937 – 18 March 2021) was a New Zealand politician. He was mayor of Hamilton from 2001 to 2004. Braithwaite was born in Hamilton on 16 April 1937. Both of his parents were prominent in civic life in Hamilt ...

defeated

Russ Rimmington Russell Mathew Rimmington (born 29 December 1945), commonly known as Russ Rimmington, was the 30th Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand. Rimmington was born on 29 December 1945 in Oamaru, New Zealand. In the 2003 New Year Honours, he was appointed a ...

) and

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

(

Mark Bell-Booth Mark Rex Bell-Booth was Mayor of Palmerston North for one term, from 2001 to 2004. He became known through his "Save the Avenue" campaign. He is best known for the redevelopment of Palmerston North#The Square, The Square, which happened during ...

defeated

Jill White Jacqueline Jill White (born 22 February 1941) is a former New Zealand Labour Party politician, and a registered nurse. Early life and career White was born in Feilding in 1941. She attended Manchester Street Primary School and Feilding Agricultu ...

). In

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

Tim Shadbolt Sir Timothy Richard Shadbolt (born 19 February 1947) is a New Zealand politician. He was the Mayor of Invercargill and previously Mayor of Waitemata City. Early life Shadbolt was born in the Auckland suburb of Remuera in 1947. His father died ...

was returned unopposed.

Other outcomes

Of those who stood for election, 18 percent were declared elected unopposed. Spoiled votes made up 4.1 percent of the total votes.

References

{{New Zealand elections Local 2001

Local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

October 2001 events in New Zealand