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Before you know it, October will be here and you and I will be confronted with an opportunity not to be missed, although it would seem that the majority of the population make a point of missing it.

Our local body elections are probably some of the most important opportunities we have in life to influence what happens directly in the communities that we live in; and yet voter turnout out is consistently low. 

Is it a chance to determine our communities future, or is it just a quaint outlook on what really happens behind the council doors when they’re not falling asleep, or inhaling flat whites and sausage rolls?

Let’s be completely honest; they’re quite similar to central government elections in the sense that very nice people tend to put their hands up because they have the very best of intentions. 

In reality, though, once you become part of the system, you start to curtail your wildly democratic desires to be altruistic and simply toe the party line.

I’ve looked at the candidates standing in the Super City of Auckland; which at the moment isn’t that super. I’ve decided that the best I can do is to vote strategically in a deliberate attempt to keep certain idiots from wearing the mayoral chains. 

What’s happening where you live? Are you pleasantly surprised or forever disappointed at those who put their hand up for council? 

How do we encourage more people to use their democratic right and have their say both at local and central government level? Electing the right representatives could make a world of difference on your doorstep.