Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Local body election ballot papers may be delayed

Updated at 8:19 pm on 13 September 2010

About half of New Zealand's local body elections postal ballot papers could be delayed and some lost due to the Canterbury earthquake.

Electionz.com, a Christchurch-based company that designs, prints and prepares voting packs for 36 councils, has had to shift its operation across town as it battles to get the papers out on time.

The company's electoral officer says the final printing stage of the three million packs is being moved out of the central business district for processing near the airport.

Warwick Lampp says its deadline for posting voters' packs for most of the country is on Friday, but residents in the Waimakariri and Selwyn districts may not get theirs until the middle of next week.

Mr Lampp says it will be a tight turnaround for voters in those districts to receive and post their ballot papers.

Listen to report on Checkpoint

Copyright © 2010, Radio New Zealand