Voters from affluent areas were more likely to vote in local body elections than those at the other end of the scale according to data from the 2016 Rotorua Council elections.

In 2016, voter turnout was 46 per cent in Rotorua, with 24,963 eligible voters choosing not to vote.

Ryan Gray, a Rotorua Lakes Council candidate, says numbers from the 2016 election show a 'huge inequity” between suburbs in voter turnout.

He says 46 per cent across all Rotorua is low enough, but the numbers per suburb paint a concerning picture, raising questions why people choose to vote.

Numbers provided by Ryan show that Tihi o Tonga had the highest voter turnout by suburb with 65 per cent, followed closely by Matipo Heights and Lake Okareka with 61 per cent, Lynmore with 60 per cent and Springfield at 59 per cent.

Conversely, Kaingaroa Forest had the lowest turnout by suburb with only 16 per cent of people voting, followed closely by Fordlands on 24 per cent, Western Heights on 30 per cent and Selwyn Heights on 33 per cent.

Ryan says people in Fordlands say their lack of knowledge about candidates and what they are standing for were reasons for voter inertia, along with thoughts their vote made no difference. They also lost their post box from Ford Road after vandalism which makes returning the voting papers more difficult.

'Ultimately candidates, council and voters themselves share the blame for low voter turnout.”