Executive summary

This report presents a summary of the demographic characteristics of 2025 Auckland Council election candidates and a comparison between candidates and the Auckland adult population.

The information presented here is sourced from self-reported survey data from 340 candidates who stood for the 2025 Auckland Council elections, a response rate of almost three-quarters (340 out of 435 unique candidates).

The analysis presented here is based on the final election results in November 2025. This was prior to the Manukau District Court declaring results for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board void in December 2025, due to allegations of voter fraud.

Analysis indicates that for the 2025 Auckland Council elections:

• Gender: Female candidates were under-represented in the overall candidate pool (37% of all candidates) when compared with the broader Auckland adult population (those aged 18 and over). This represents a decline in the proportion of female candidates since 2022, when 43per cent of candidates were female.
• Age: The age distribution of candidates was skewed towards those aged 35 years and older, compared to the wider Auckland adult population aged 18 and over. Very few candidates were aged between 18-34 years (12%). There was also a decline in the proportion of those aged 65and over who stood for election (17%) since the 2022 elections (22%).
• Ethnicity: The majority of candidates (71%) identified as European. This group was over-represented when compared to the Auckland adult population (51%). Māori were also over-represented at 17 per cent compared with 10 per cent of the adult population. Asian candidates were notably under-represented with 16 per cent of candidates identifying with an ethnicity in the broad Asian category compared with 31% of the adult population. These patterns carried over into results for elected members. However, compared to 2022,there was an increase in representation among elected members of both Māori and Pacific candidates.
• Birthplace: Candidates were more likely to be born in New Zealand than the Auckland adult population (69% compared to 51%). However, compared to 2022, there was an increasing percentage of candidates standing for election who were born overseas (31% in 2025,compared with 26% in 2022).
• Languages spoken: Just over one-quarter (29%) of candidates were able to hold an everyday conversation in at least one language other than English. This proportion was slightly higher for unelected candidates (31%) than it was for elected candidates (26%). Demographic characteristics of the 2025 Auckland Council election candidates and elected members v
• Reported disabilities: A small proportion (7%) of candidates indicated that they had a disability, impairment or long-term condition. This is aligned with the proportion of the Auckland adult population who reported living with a disability (7%). 

When compared to the Auckland adult population, the overall candidate pool tended to have larger proportions of older, male, New Zealand European, New Zealand-born candidates, similar to previous elections. In particular, there was a small but noticeable decline in the proportion of female candidates standing for election in 2025, compared to previous years. However, ethnic representation has increased since previous elections, particularly for Māori and Pacific candidates. Although the proportion of Asian candidates increased compared to previous elections, they continue to remain under represented in contrast to the underlying Asian population in Auckland.

Further analysis and information are required to understand barriers to increasing gender and ethnic representation, and there is minimal research into this area. The current analysis shows the importance of ensuring diversity in candidates standing for local government to represent the diversity of Auckland’s communities, and the ongoing collection of these demographic characteristics will enable council elections programmes to continue encouraging a range of candidates to stand for future elections.

Auckland Council technical report, TR2026/2

February 2026

See also

2025 Auckland local election voter turnout Who did and did not vote?