What matters to you in your community? Whatever needs changing, you could be the person to change it by becoming an ORC councillor. Know someone great? Encourage them to stand!  

Regional councils are democratic organisations. 

• Councillors are elected by the local population every three years. This period of service is called a triennium. 
• A Chairperson is elected by the councillors. 
• Teams of staff run the day-to-day operations and report to the Chief Executive.

Environmental management: managing the use of land, air, water, and coastal waters. This includes flood control, air and water quality, and pest control.  

Natural resource management: managing land, air, and water resources sustainably. This includes supporting biodiversity and biosecurity.  

Regional transport: planning and contracting passenger services, and managing harbour navigation and safety.  

Regional emergency management: preparing for and responding to emergencies and natural disasters.  

Regional policy: developing regional policy statements.  

Community wellbeing: promoting the economic, social, cultural, and environmental wellbeing of the region.  

Otago is made up of four constituencies. Each councillor serves their own constituency, representing the main issues for their area in council discussions and financial spending, and Otago as a whole at a national level.  

We are awaiting a decision on the representation review results to confirm the number of councillors for each constituency. 

In a regional council, the term ‘constituency’ is used rather than ‘ward’.

As an elected member, no two days are the same. You will: 

• be a part of governing the third-largest region in New Zealand
• help decide how funding is allocated
• make decisions that will help define the future for our communities 
• decide:
  • how to meet the current and future needs for flooding infrastructure
  • climate change mitigation
  • transport services
  • protecting the health of Otago’s land and water 
• make decisions about regulation policies
• attend council meetings 
• hold ORC to account and maintain oversight of compliance with legislative obligations, including financial reporting, risk and audit.

On any given day, an ORC councillor may:  

• read and prepare for upcoming meetings 
• vote in various decision-making meetings and committees 
• engage with the public to hear their views 
• attend events like public meetings and public consultation drop-in sessions  
• represent the council at community events, like local A&P shows
• take part in community activities, like a working bee for a local stream regeneration project. 

On top of this, there will also be opportunities to be on working groups, projects and champion specific issues.

Remuneration for local body officers is set by the government, under the Remuneration Authority Act 1977 and parts of the Local Government Act 2002. 

Base rates for the 2024/2025 years are:

More information about how payment is set, rates from previous years, and allowances that can be received are available on remauthority.govt.nz

Are you thinking about standing at the next local government elections, but have questions about how the process works? Head over to Vote NZ for their detailed FAQs for anyone interested in standing for the 2025 local body elections.

Vote NZ - Candidate FAQs

Phone: 0800 474 082
Email: elections@orc.govt.nz