A by-election will be held to fill the Bay of Plenty Regional Council seat vacated after the death of Malcolm Campbell.

The Eastern Bay of Plenty councillor and former Kawerau mayor died last month after a short illness.

Nominations open today to fill the Eastern Bay of Plenty general constituency seat for the remainder of the 2025-2028 triennium.

The council’s chief executive, Fiona McTavish, said she encouraged those interested in helping represent and shape the region to put their name forward.

“The next two years are going to be incredibly important in setting the future direction of local government in the Bay of Plenty.

“Along with the rollout of the Government’s Simplifying Local Government programme, there are still important regional decisions that will be required to be made and we still have significant responsibilities to deliver for our communities and environment.

Malcolm Campbell died on May 21. Photo / Ben Fraser

“It’s important those decisions continue to be made with full representation in place.”

Electoral officer Warwick Lampp said anyone interested should take the time now to find out more about the role and make sure their nomination was submitted on time. Nominations are due before July 16.

“We encourage people to get them in early so we can make sure all the information that’s provided is correct and meets the requirements.”

Candidate information and nomination forms will be available on the council’s website from June 18 at www.boprc.govt.nz/elections

If more than one nomination is received, a voting process will be triggered, with voter packs delivered from August 24 through the post.

Voting will close at midday on September 25, with preliminary results expected soon after.