Voting has closed for the 2022 local election. Voting closed at midday.

Postal voting closed on Tuesday, but ballots were allowed to be dropped off at councils and a number of other locations, such as some Countdowns and local libraries.

As of October 6, the Rotorua district had cast 19,741 votes, representing slightly more than 40 per cent of the eligible voting population of 49,334 people.

Tauranga City Council did not hold an election this year, with a decision made earlier this year to retain commissioners in place until July 2024.

By October 7, Whakatāne returns represented about 35.2 per cent of the eligible population.

At the last local election in 2019, the national turnout sat around 40 per cent.

Results are expected around 2pm.

-Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air