Participation in local elections had been falling for years to a low in 2004 . In the 2013 local election , 42.56 % of registered voters cast their vote , which is significantly lower than the 2010 election , when the increased interest was caused by the 2010 Canterbury earthquake just prior to the election . The following table shows the voting statistics since the 1989 local elections : Table footnotes : '' ' Mayoral candidate videos ' '' '' ' Longer interviews '' '
2010 Canterbury earthquake
2010 Canterbury earthquake
2013 Christchurch mayoral election