The Central Otago District Council (CODC) confirmed candidates have until 12pm on Monday, December 22, to put their names forward for the vacant seat.

The by-election follows the resignation of Dave McKenzie, who was elected to the Vincent Ward in October but withdrew days after the election. 

Dave cited the toll of "online destructive misinformation" on his family following the release of a council report detailing invoice tampering involving his company.

Despite coming before he was even sworn in, the resignation after the election meant his seat was left vacant, necessitating a fresh election process.

Electoral Officer Anthony Morton said nomination papers were now available for those wishing to stand.

"To be eligible to stand for election, a candidate must be a New Zealand citizen and a parliamentary elector," the notice said. 

"Candidates must be nominated by two people who are registered on the Parliamentary Electoral Roll within the Vincent Ward."

Each nomination must be accompanied by a deposit of $200.

If more than one nomination is received by the December deadline, a postal ballot will be held early next year using the First Past the Post system.

Voting papers would be delivered to eligible electors starting Friday, January 30, with voting closing at 12pm on Tuesday, March 3.

There has been an early indication of Interest in the vacancy, with the highest-polling unsuccessful candidate from October confirming she will stand.

Louise van der Voort, who missed out on the fourth Vincent Ward seat by a narrow 33-vote margin, has indicated she will contest the by-election.

Louise is a familiar face in local governance, having previously served in a senior leadership position at the council for many years. 

She secured 1,575 votes in the recent election, placing her next in line behind Dave.

Meanwhile, another high-profile candidate has ruled himself out of the race to avoid triggering further costs for ratepayers.

Jayden Cromb, who also ran for council in October, was successfully elected to the Vincent Community Board and sworn in as its chair.

Jayden confirmed he would not stand for the council vacancy as he wanted to avoid sparking a second by-election for the district, opting instead to focus on his community board leadership role.

Nomination forms are available on the CODC website or from the council’s service centre in Alexandra.

Read more: Next-in-line candidate to contest Vincent by-election and Councillor withdraws, citing ‘online hatred’