Photo: RNZ / Isra'a Emhail
There is strong support for increasing local government terms from three years to four, according to a Curia poll released on Friday morning.
The poll showed 47 percent of respondents supported a four-year term and a further 18 percent would support it if central government had a four-year term too.
Twenty-two percent were opposed to the idea, while 13 percent were unsure.
One thousand people were surveyed between 1 and 5 August. The poll had a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
Local Government NZ president Sam Broughton. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Sam Broughton, the president of Local Government NZ which released the poll, said there was a clear mandate for electoral reform.
He added, in reference to declining voter turnout, that local democracy needed that reform to maintain its own mandate.
"This poll suggests government should include a four-year term for local government in any proposals for a four-year parliamentary term," Broughton said.
"A four-year term for local government will improve productivity across councils and provide certainty on long-term decisions and projects."
He said too much time and money was wasted "when things constantly get flipped upside-down election after election".
Nelson mayor Dr Nick Smith leads the LGNZ electoral reform working group that was formed in June.
Smith said New Zealanders were looking for efficiency gains in councils with cost of living pressures and rising rates.
"They want councils spending more time doing the job and less time politicking.
"It is telling that support for the four-year term jumps to 65 percent if parliamentary elections shift to four years. New Zealanders understand the importance of the separation of council and parliamentary elections and that the terms need to be synchronised.
"New Zealand has an unusually short electoral term for both central and local government in comparison with other countries."
Smith said four years was the optimal balance.
The group would work on a proposal that could be taken to government, focusing on increasing voter turnout, implementation and transition to four-year terms, considering the ways people could vote, and who should administer local elections.