A colourful Kombi van dubbed "the Love Bus" is being taken on a tour of Auckland, to encourage people to stand and vote in local elections.

Election campaigns are already in full swing, and candidate nominations and voter registrations close in less than three weeks.

The council has a budget for voter marketing, big enough to pay for a sausage and sauce for every voter in Auckland.

But it also has a mandate to increase voting rates among people who are very unlikely to stand for office or even tick boxes on a ballot paper, like young people and migrants.

Part of the council's answer is a brightly decorated Kombi van, unveiled in Mangere over the weekend, which will tour community events from today.

The van will form part of a larger campaign on social media and around town to get people to vote, to show they love their city.

Meanwhile, the local election cycle is officially in full swing and a lost list of tickets and candidates are already launching their campaigns.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Phil Goff was a guest at City Vision's campaign launch in Balmoral on Saturday.

The candidate list includes councillors Cathy Casey and Mike Lee, and familiar media personalities like Vernon Tava and Chang Hung.

Centre-right Auckland Future is standing candidates in several council seats including former rugby league coach Graham Lowe and current councillor Denise Krum.

Desley Simpson is the star of the old Communities and Residents ticket, standing in Cameron Brewer's Orakei ward.

Brewer is retiring from council, and is standing with marathon star Allison Roe in the north on a new ticket called Rodney First.