Chief electoral officer Dale Ofsoske Photo: RNZ / Todd Niall
Police have confirmed they are making enquiries following complaints of electoral fraud in a South Auckland local body election.
Chief electoral officer Dale Ofsoske told RNZ that several complaints had been received about alleged voting paper theft from letterboxes in the Papatoetoe area.
"The first complaint we lodged with the police, and we understand a second complaint was lodged directly with the police," Ofsoske said.
Ofsoske said the election results for the Papatoetoe subdivision would not be suspended or delayed, with official tallies for Auckland expected to be released on Saturday.
"If there is a police investigation which may lead to a prosecution, we would be guided by any court decision regarding the results," he said.
On Thursday, RNZ received a complaint about alleged "electoral malpractice" in relation to the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board.
In addition to voting paper theft, it also claimed voters were being told how to vote inside polling booths and in public places at a Sikh Temple in Papatoetoe.
Police confirmed Friday they have received reports in relation to the allegations, with their enquiries in the very early stages and ongoing.
The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board has two subdivisions, with the Ōtara having three seats and Papatoetoe four.
Preliminary results show members of the Papatoetoe-Ōtara Action Team won all four seats in the Papatoetoe subdivision, with successful vote counts ranging from 5137 to 4540.
Average voter turnout for local boards in Auckland fell from 35.5 percent in 2022 to 28.8 percent this year.
Voter turnout for the Ōtara subdivision declined from 22 percent to 21 percent over the same period, while turnout for the Papatoetoe subdivision increased from 24.1 percent to 31.2 percent.
Rajesh Goyal, campaign manager for the Papatoetoe-Ōtara Action Team, said he was unconcerned by allegations of fraud, noting the candidates had campaigned hard in the run-up to the election.
He said more Indians and Indo-Fijians had moved into the area in recent years, which might have played a part in the team winning all four seats.
"After the [official] inquiry, it will be clear," Goyal said.
