Written By:
notices and features - Date published:
1:05 pm, October 12th, 2019 - 79 comments
Categories: democratic participation, local body elections, local government -
Tags: local body elections 2019
Live coverage at
Who else is hyped as hell to see who wins the local elections today? We are, and we're live blogging our excitement here https://t.co/BQlTHfLHM6
— The Spinoff (@TheSpinoffTV) October 11, 2019
#LIVE All the results from the local government elections 2019: Who has been elected mayor in your region? Follow our blog for all the latest results, reactions, comment and analysis. https://t.co/SdjjdeLchC
— RNZ (@radionz) October 11, 2019
Live: Local body election results https://t.co/wFXfbPsaK6 pic.twitter.com/fFjxGBtQ3Q
— Stuff (@NZStuff) October 11, 2019
The Herald’s full list of Mayors and Councillors
List of council websites and maps
When will election results be available?
Votes are processed, but not counted, as they come in. The announcement of the preliminary results will depend on the flow of the returned voting documents to electoral officers. Electoral officers have the discretion to announce progress results (i.e. votes counted to date), and some do so very soon after midday on polling day for FPP. This tends to happen more in larger areas, where there are many votes to count. The preliminary results (i.e. the count of all ordinary votes, and validated special votes) for smaller councils using FPP might be available within a few hours of the close of voting on polling day.
Under FPP, candidates’ vote tallies increase progressively as more and more votes are counted. It is possible to predict whether the uncounted votes could alter the outcome after a progress result, based on the margins between the candidates and how many votes there are left to count.
However, the nature of STV voting means that a very few votes can alter the result of an election by changing the order in which candidates are excluded and their votes transferred. As a result, it is less clear how a relatively small number of votes will affect the final result under STV. This is why progress results are generally not made in STV elections.
The Society of Local Government Managers’ electoral working party has recommended that electoral officers release preliminary results (as distinct from progress results) for STV elections as soon as practicable. If electoral officers cannot release a preliminary result by midday on the Sunday after polling day, because they have not received all the votes to process and put through the calculator for an announcement by that time, then they should consider releasing progress results sometime after midday on Sunday.
The Vote 2019 campaign has been designed to encourage more Kiwis to get involved in the Local Authority Elections. Local Authority Election turnout has been declining in many areas of New Zealand since the 1980s. This ten-month Vote 2019 campaign, which ran until the 12 October polling date, aimed to lift voter numbers above 50 per cent nationally for the first time since 1989.
View the tables below for the preliminary voter turnout statistics from the 2019 local authority elections as provided by the councils. The figures are broken into metro, rural, provincial and regional areas. These tables will be updated with final results, including Special Votes, once all votes have been counted.
Fairly decent queue of last-minute voters in Wellington (which may have included yours truly). Better late than never right? pic.twitter.com/ebCPviIwLP
— Sam Sachdeva (@SamSachdevaNZ) October 11, 2019
The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.
The postal votes are 'processed' when they come in , but as that involves digital scanning, the counting is a computer process after midday. They probably know clear winners by now ( 2pm) but there are various checks to be done and adding the last votes that arrived this morning.
Stuff is saying Goff has 155,000 or so votes. He got 187k last time and nearest challenger was Crone with 111K. With lower turnout looks like Goff still miles ahead of ‘all the rest’
Tim King has flown in for Tasman. Don’t expect any great changes here then – same backers just with a different front man.
It will be interesting to see the breakdown of the different wards. Apparently Golden Bay has gone for a complete change – wise folks. But Richmond ward with the biggest population have voted for the status quo.
Unconfirmed… but this is what I know so far…Edit https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/116510317/tim-king-wins-tasman-district-council-mayoralty
Motueka Ward (in order)
David Oglivie
Trindi Walker
Barry Dowler
Motueka Community Board (in no particular order)
Brent Maru
Trindi Walker (as Trindi will relinquish this for council, the next highest polling candidate will get it, Joni Tomsett)
Richard Horrell
David Armstrong
Richmond Ward (in no particular order)
Dana Wensley
Kit Mailing
Mark Greening
Trevor Tuffnell
Moutere-Waimea Ward
Dean McNamara
Anne Turley
Christeen McKenzie
Golden Bay (in no particular order)
Chris Hill
Celia Butler
Golden Bay Community Board
Dave Gowland (1071),
Averill Grant (1312),
Grant Knowles (1174)
Abbie Langford (1287)
+ 1 thanks
Some good results so far in Auckland, Hutt, Napier.
According to Stuff:
Neil Brown has taken Ashburton
Sandra Hazelhurst has kept Hastings
Tim Shadbolt, tired old Trot he is, has kept Invercargill
Hutt City has been taken by Campbell Barry
Liane Dalziel returned as mayor in Christchurch. Full results:
https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/newsline/show/3960
Dunedin gets NZ's first openly Green Party aligned Mayor. Aaron Hawkins is a worthy leader.
Superb.
Great to be able to wholeheartedly applaud a mayoral winner.
this is fantastic news for Dunedin, but also NZ in climate leadership terms.
Didnt Wellinton used to have Celia Wade Brown?
I think she was green not Green.
aye..!
As I remember, Nelson used to have Lady Hamilton.
He's a bit of a jerk, in my experience. Great at stealing the credit for other people's work, ignores you if he doesn't need anything from you.
But still light-years better than vandervis.
How have you encountered him?
Crossing wakes in a small town over the years. From uni times to passing in the street to people reporting back from council or community projects. Others tend to do most of the work on a project, then he announces it without acknowledging anyone else's work.
It was funny when another councillor and candidates said something similar a few weeks ago.
He's certainly not as polarising as LV, but you know it if you're no use to him.
Interesting. Thanks.
Isnt it all petty and personal and not really related to a Mayors role . The job isnt about being 'Councillors friends' and tending to others egos will fill your day.
How someone works with others seems relevant. But yes, keeping everyone happy all the time will also get nothing done.
Still waiting on Wellington (STV) but so far the Right candidates for mayor have lost in the major cities – Auckland, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin.
And a few smaller ones too.
Commiserations to Micky on his electoral bid. However from a purely selfish point of view on my part I guess that means he will still have time to continue posting here. Good to hear that another sometime poster here Dennis Tegg has been successful in his bid for selection as Coromandel representative on the Waikato regional Council.
Bummer about Micky 🙁
Dennis is saying he ran on a climate platform, so doubly awesome he is in.
Yes very pleased for Dennis.t was a very close contest with only a few hundred votes separating all of the candidates. Dennis of course is well known in these parts having been the first Green party Candidate in the Coromandel Electorate before Jeanette. He has been an active contributor to the climate change discussion here – where unfortunately we have just re-elected a well known denier Sandra Goudie as Mayor. Not unsurprising tho as she is a very good canvaser and well known. She does drive a Leaf, so I suppose that is something in her benefit, but really the council in Thames needs some serious new blood. The best candidate for the Thames Ward for Council Robyn Sinclair (PDF)
was just pipped by about 80 votes into 4th 🙁 .
Did Sinclair get elected?
(fixed the link).
Nope – only 3 spots available – she was 4th highest polling candidate. This was her first run for selection so overall a creditable run. Might have been better to run for local community board first. There were mostly new candidates there, and we need strong voices there as well. But from close second hand knowledge I know it can be a very wearying task, with a council made up primarily of grey beards.
BTW thanks for fixing the link – I used to be able to do it under the old system but this new linky thing is a bit perplexing 🙂
So Goudie is like Bridges in thinking that swapping their personal vehicles to electric ones makes up for doing nothing significant about climate change. Guess it plays well enough with their base. Slow clap.
Actually she is a thorough going climate denier. Like Bridges the driving of a Leaf is all personal savings – nothing to do with saving the planet.
Virtue signalling. Literally.
Robert Guyton is back with the Southland regional council (inappropriately named Environment Southland).
Thanks for noticing, weka
yes..yes..well done mr guyton..!
Well done Robert! Any other good things happening with the Southland elections?
My position is still up in the air, weka…specials could tip me over in favour of me ol' mate Maurice; awkward few days ahead…
YAY! That should ALWAYS happen. Congrats Mr Guyton, well deserved
Thanks, Cinny.
Well done!! Glad about that Robert.
Ditto Robert. I too hope that you remain a standing member.
chris tremain got beaten by over 8.000 votes..
how sweet it is..!
good news about the first mayor to have run on a green ticket..
the local govt door is wide open for the greens..there are ripe pickings there for them..
many who may not vote green in national electoons – will do for an effective local green candidate..
and local gummint is going to become more and more important in the upcoming battles against the effects of/from climate-change..
so the greens have to be there..
Lester behind so far in Wellington
"Under the STV voting system, Lester was ahead on all iterations until the final one when many of Diane Calvert's votes went to Foster. "
Lester may yet gain on the 'specials' and other candidates 2nd votes- 5500 to come
'Lester may yet gain on the 'specials' and other candidates 2nd votes- 5500 to come'..
doubt it..!
isn;t there about 5000 votes to be counted? and there was a heaving crowd down at the council drop off this morning waiting to vote and a lot of drop offs – not a lot looked like natural andy supporters – as far as I can see Peter seems to think his is the only opinion matters or is it just the stuff coverage??? who knows – not a favourite of mine
so..peter jackson bought himself a mayor…
that's an uncomfortable precedent set..
Didn't Jackson have some sort of run-in with mayor, Lester and his council a year or two ago? If so, then I guess financing an opponent was his way to seek revenge.
Never liked the arrogant, nasty bastard.
jackson is doing a nimby in island bay…
doesn't want poorer people/a residential development in the area..
it lowers the tone – didn'tyaknow…
gonna be interesting to see if the new mayor does his bidding…
What does Jackson want from Foster that he could not get from Lester? Should that be Lyall Bay ?
.. Like something from The Prince by Machiavelli..
probly – i don't know wellington…
Yes, we noticed.
Shelly Bay.
If you knew much about the development I don’t think you’d be saying this. The cheapest houses/apartments will be over $800k and there is huge controversy over the iwi ownership – as in they feel they’ve been shafted. Also the destruction of the environment, extra vehicles etc. So no I don’t think he’s being a nimby about it.
Can you be more precise about the development location?
i would have thought that buying a mayor sets a whole new benchmark in nimbyisim in action..
surely..?
Jackson's upset about Shelly Bay.
heh..!..third time right…
AFAIK, he donated to a mayoral candidate and it was up to the voters to elect the candidate. Are you suggesting that the new mayor, if he gets confirmed, is somehow ‘owned’ by the campaign donor and will do “his bidding” (@ 12.1.1)? You may want to choose your words more wisely.
some may say that – i couldn't possibly comment…
Lester was financed by the Shelley Bay developer last election! Not this time though as the developer didn't want his man having to disqualify himself from voting on any decisions with regard to the development and the handing over of Council land as part of the deal. Lester was also an executive member of the Property Council (the 'union' of the big project developers) and last time around, had a large election poster on a Wellington Airport site (not too unsubtle support from the CEO?) when a significant slice of the left-leaning voters were opposing the still proposed runway extension. The Shelley Bay development is probably not the only issue to get up Sir Peter's nose. He was used and abused by Council on another Lester favoured developer project, the Conference Centre. It is now going to be a milestone around the ratepayers neck with the departure of Jackson's movie museum that was going to partly finance the project. A number of Wellingtonians who are not much in awe of Peter Jackson are not unhappy that he gave Andy Foster's campaign a boost to get rid of a Mayor who has not served the locals well.
Oops – millstone!
Do you even know how 'large billboard sites' work. If it was on Airport land , the Airport doesnt decide, as they only get lease payments from a billboard company, not operational control. As for your claim Lester was an 'executive member' of the (Wellington) Property Council , Im calling that a load of bollocks, yes hes a commercial lawyer who worked in commercial real estate world but hes been a Councillor since 2010 before Mayor
https://nz.linkedin.com/in/justin-lester-ab613623
Incognito sorted one of your issues with fact – not assertion. As for the billboard issue – bullshit! Of course the entity paying for the billboard and the facility providing the site would have had some say. Do you really think a billboard opposing the airports interests would have found its way to the same site? Also, was it a co-incidence that the billboard was taken down immediately after the issue was raised on this site in response to a posting that supported his candidacy?
Yes. Who do you think reads this? 🙂
Andy Foster was my fourth form teacher. Crikey he has come a long way.
In a good way?
Just a long way lolz. He kinda quit teaching after a term with us.
Result!
LMFAO !!!! We thought so at the time.
and out of the omni-shambles – stumbles tim shadbolt…
arms raised in victory – 'i'm back!' – he croaked…
2 things that would survive a global thermonuclear war.
1) Cockroaches
2) Tim Shadbolt.
do the locals come out and mill about him..
like the rajneesh used to do for the bhagwan..?
does anyone know..?
are they still impressed that he is from auckland..?
that usually wow!'s southlanders..
meeting someone from the big city..
You have to look pretty hard to find a Southlander that hasn't had a blunt with Mayor Tim – I did a couple of months on the mussel farms back in 2007 – pretty much everyone had met him.
heh..!
yeah – i've been there/done that..in auckland…
it's a shame sue bradford didn't get in in northland..
she is very competent..
and would have been very effective in that role..
Isn't Micheal laws back in – return of the what..
Yeah, he's been on ORC for a term and has proved quite useful. Was highest polling in Dunstan ward. https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/otago-regional-council-results Also elected in Dunstan was Alexa Forbes whos been on QLDC for a while and very capable and quite green. And Marion Hobbs in Dunedin
His wife was elected to Central Otago District Council too https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/central-otago-district-council-results-0 Not sure what's going to happen there
oink..?
looks like wellington city council largely women
[Corrected typo in e-mail address]
One truism of news is that local councillors do make national headlines when they say stupid or nasty things, but otherwise don't.
So I'll just copy this from the Spinoff, on the fate of several Hamilton councillors you might remember …
"Hamilton has spent three years writhing in the grip of some of New Zealand’s most embarrassing councillors. James Casson infamously said the Christchurch terrorist wins with “each tear shed” for his victims. Garry Mallett used homophobic slurs in a council meeting, and has consistently opposed Māori representation on council. Both are climate deniers. So is Leo Tooman. Meanwhile, Siggi Henry wore an anti-vax t-shirt to an autism fundraiser.
All four of those candidates were voted out on Saturday. Their replacements include Sarah Thomson, a lawyer who sued the government for failing to meet its climate change targets, and Kesh Naidoo-Rauf, a local pharmacist who went to Christchurch to volunteer in the aftermath of the March 15 massacre."
(Well done Hamilton voters!)