Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins said candidates were potentially exposed to heightened danger by having to list a home or office address in an era when public figures seemed to be facing more abuse.
Section 113 of the Local Electoral Act requires an address to be published of the candidate or person who authorised publication of material, and Mr Hawkins wants that changed before this year’s local body elections.
Cr Sophie Barker said the practice was outdated and she had installed cameras and security lights at her property.
"There are many ways that people can get in touch with their representatives other than their home address," Cr Barker said.
"It’s hard enough to put your name and family in the political spotlight without adding your address.
"As a woman and sole parent, it was one of the things that troubled me about standing for council."
Barriers to standing for council needed to be removed, including fear for personal safety, she said.
Deputy mayor Christine Garey said it was time to change the rules "given the well documented increase in abuse experienced by elected members and the targeted abuse of female politicians".
In a Newstalk ZB interview last week, Mr Hawkins highlighted the 2016 murder of British politician Jo Cox.
Mr Hawkins said New Zealand should not wait for a similar situation to unfold before reducing risks.
Cr Steve Walker said the piece of legislation seemed antiquated.
"I just don’t see the upsides of continuing the requirement, while at the same time the potential downsides that could accrue from openly advertising one’s address in the current context of abuse being directed towards elected officials is obvious," Cr Walker said.
"I think most reasonable members of the public would agree that the requirement is unnecessary in the year 2022."
Cr Rachel Elder said she had always had concerns about her private address being on campaign material.
"The community we serve has a diverse range of views and when we make decisions we will never be able to please all of the people we serve," Cr Elder said.
Councillors needed to have a boundary between their public and personal lives and the requirement about addresses exposed people to a greater risk of the line being crossed, she said.
"In particular, I have a concern for women councillors, who seem to have been subject to increasing online personal abuse."
Crs David Benson-Pope and Carmen Houlahan supported the mayor’s stance and Cr Andrew Whiley said the legal requirement lacked relevance.
"My suggestion would be removing the physical address and having [an] email address on all campaign materials," Cr Whiley said.
Mr Hawkins told Newstalk ZB his car had been vandalised at his home and his address had been distributed online amid encouragement for people to "give direct feedback".
He had received support from around the country for raising the issue, including from the community at large.
He thought there was a case for such a requirement in any third party advertising.
"Likewise, there’s value in candidates using authorisation statements," Mr Hawkins said.
"I just think they should be able to do that without including a street address on everything.
"It would be great to have it sorted in time for this year’s election.
"I’ve raised it with Local Government New Zealand and we’re considering how we might best make urgent progress on it."
