Nominations have officially closed for this year's local body elections

Thousands of positions around the country are up for grabs.

All eyes are on Auckland and Christchurch, which will elect new mayors -- and Wellington, where Mayor Andy Foster is seeking another term.

But it's a different story in other parts of the country, where councils are struggling to get enough candidates for the positions available.

Many candidates are likely to be automatically elected to positions, and councils could be forced to hold costly by-elections for positions that can't be filled.