By Moana Ellis, Local Democracy Reporting
Nominations for the 2025 Local Elections have closed with a last-minute flurry of nominations for seats on the Whanganui, Ruapehu, Rangitīkei district and Horizons regional councils.
Nominations closed at 12 noon on Friday but were still being processed and finalised on Friday afternoon. A public notice of the final list will be published on 6 August.
Voting will take place between 9 September and 11 October.
Whanganui District Council
As at mid-afternoon on Friday, first-time mayor Andrew Tripe had three confirmed challengers for Whanganui’s top job.
Sitting councillors Josh Chandulal-Mackay and Peter Oskam were joined by Gregory McPhee in the mayoral race.
While Tripe is standing only for the mayoralty, his challengers are also general ward candidates.
Four Māori candidates will stand for the council’s two new Māori ward seats. They are Julie Herewini, Geoff Hipango, Hayden Potaka and Phil (Bear) Reweti.
Meanwhile, 23 candidates will vie for 10 seats in the general ward, including sitting councillors Philippa Baker-Hogan, Glenda Brown, Ross Fallen, Kate Joblin, Michael Law, Charlotte Melser and Rob Vinsen.
Māori candidates Awhi Haenga and Jay Rerekura are also standing in the general ward.
According to the list of confirmed candidates mid-afternoon on Friday, Whanganui Rural Community Board members could be elected unopposed. They are David Wells and Daryn Te Uamairangi for the Whanganui community subdivision; Jack Bullock, Brian Doughty and Quentin Handley for Kai Iwi; and Charlie Anderson and Bill Ashworth for Kaitoke.
Ruapehu District Council
By mid-afternoon, incumbent Weston Kirton had three challengers for the mayoralty.
Sitting councillors Fiona Kahukura Hadley-Chase and Lyn Neeson are joined by late entry Grant Lethborg.
In the general ward, 14 candidates will run for six seats. They include deputy mayor Viv Hoeta and sitting councillors Robyn Gram, Rabbit Nottage and Brenda Ralph.
Six candidates will stand for the three Māori ward seats. They are the three incumbents, Channey Iwikau, Korty Wilson and Hadley-Chase, and challengers Marilyn Davis, Simon Hepi and Kuru Ketu.
Elections will also be required for the council’s three community boards. For Ōwhango-National Park, there are seven candidates for five vacancies; Waimarino-Waiouru has 10 candidates for five places; and Taumarunui-Ōhura has eight candidates for five seats.
Rangitīkei District Council
In Rangitīkei, 32 candidates have put themselves forward for election.
Long-serving mayor Andy Watson has three challengers: David Christison, John Hainsworth and Simon Loudon.
Elections will also be required in the three wards, with three standing for two Northern seats, eight up for five Central ward vacancies, and four confirmed for two Southern places.
Piki Te Ora (Tracey) Hiroa will be elected unopposed to the Tiikeitia ki Uta (inland) Māori ward as she was the only candidate. For Tiikeitia ki Tai, the coastal Māori seat, David Yates will challenge incumbent Coral Raukawa.
The four Rātana Community Board candidates will be elected unopposed: Jason Hihira, Ruthie Lawrence, Charlie Mete and Grace Taiaroa.
In Taihape, six candidates will compete for four vacancies.
Among them is Hadley-Chase, who also stands for Ruapehu mayor, a Ruapehu Māori seat and the Taumarunui-Ōhura Community Board.
According to election rules, a candidate can stand for mayor and/or councillor and also for community boards but, if elected to more than one position, must choose one.
Candidates who stand for more than one board must specify which boards they are standing for, and rank each in order of priority should they be elected to more than one. This determines which position they would be elected to if successful in more than one post.
Horizons Regional Council
In the Palmerston North constituency, nine candidates were confirmed by mid-afternoon for four available seats, including deputy chair Jono Naylor and sitting councillors Wiremu Te Awe Awe and Fiona Gordon.
For Manawatū-Rangitīkei’s two vacancies, four candidates have been confirmed, including incumbents Bruce Gordon and Gordon McKellar.
There are also four candidates for Whanganui’s two seats, including sitting councillor Alan Taylor.
Nikki Riley was the only confirmed candidate for the Ruapehu constituency, while Horowhenua had six candidates for two seats, and two were standing for one place in Tararua.
The Raki Māori seat will be strongly contested, with three challengers for incumbent Turuhia (Jim) Edmonds. They are Soraya Peke-Mason, Elijah Pue and Tāwhiao McMaster.
Sitting Tonga Māori councillor Te Kenehi Teira could be elected unopposed if no further candidates are confirmed.
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