[3][4][5] LGNZ President Stuart Crosby attributed the low number of candidates to several factors including abusive rhetoric directed against electoral officials on issues such as the Three Waters reform programme and resource management reform, and low remuneration rates which disadvantaged candidates from young and diverse communities in rural and provincial areas.

By 28 September, Auckland had reported a voter turnout of 8.8%, 10.9% in Christchurch, 4.9% in Wellington, 3.9% in Taupō, and 19.8% in the Westland District.

[7][8][9][10] Auckland University of Technology political scientist Julienne Molineaux attributed the low voter turnout to public interest in the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the long weekend, a long voting period, and public disengagement with postal voting due to insufficient posting infrastructure.

[11] In late September 2022, Radio New Zealand and The Spinoff reported that several voters including Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta were experiencing delays in receiving their postal ballot papers.

[12] By 9 October, The New Zealand Herald reported that the national voter turnout for the 2022 local elections was a record low 36 percent.

In response, Local Government New Zealand President Stuart Crosby, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and National Party leader Christopher Luxon called for an independent review and urgent reform to the voting system for local elections.

[14] On 28 October, the Future for Local Government group advocated several recommendations aimed at improving voter turnout at future local body elections including lowering the voting age to 16 years old, four-year terms, raising salaries for elected local officials, implementing the single transferable voting system nationwide, and improving engagement with the public particularly Māori voters.

Massey University's Centre for Defence and Security Studies director Dr William Hoverd attributed the surge in "extremist" candidates to the occupation of the New Zealand Parliament's grounds during the 2022 Wellington protest, which in his view "had unified and galvanised groups with little in common other than their dissatisfaction with the Government.