The council is looking at holding an ''introductory briefing'' for prospective candidates, an initiative promoted by deputy mayor Jim Hopkins after a visit to an Australian council which did a similar thing.
''It will make people more aware and better informed about what is involved,'' he said.
His proposal was accepted at a committee-of-the-whole meeting and will now go to the council meeting on April 9 for final approval.
While in Western Australia, Cr Hopkins visited the Kwinana City Council in Perth which, in the lead-up to local body elections, arranged a voluntary briefing session for prospective candidates.
It outlined councillors' duties, governance, committee structures, codes of conduct, likely workloads, meeting frequencies and procedures, legal obligations, pay and conditions and general expectations.
It meant new councillors had a better knowledge of what would happen and took less time to become familiar with the processes, Cr Hopkins said.
Waitaki council staff had already been discussing the possibility of a similar briefing and did not see it would be an expensive exercise, strategy group manager Richard Mabon said.
Care was needed to ensure the briefing was ''information neutral'' - not influencing people one way or another if they should stand as a candidate, he said.
Cr Helen Stead said people who were enthusiastic could come to a council meeting to see how it worked, while Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton sounded a note of caution about whether a briefing was needed when information could be obtained from several sources.
Nominations open on July 26 and close at noon on August 23. Polling day is October 12 at noon for the postal ballot.
