METRONEWS
© New Zealand Broadcasting School 2026

by New Zealand Broadcasting School students

New Zealanders take to the polls for the local body elections

Politics

Reuben Smith
cashel-mall
Pedestrians walking through Cashel Mall in the Central City  Reuben Smith/NZBS

Find out who's going to be your next mayor with updates throughout the day.

4.25pm - Dunedin too close to call

It's too close to call in Dunedin, but it appears incumbent Mayor Jules Radich has been ousted.

Incumbent councillor Sophie Barker currently leads a crowded pack with 12,782 votes - just 105 ahead of Andrew Simms at 12,677.

There were still about 9000 votes left to count.

4.01pm - Little wins Wellington

Former Minister Andrew Little will be Wellington's next Mayor.

The former Labour leader looks to have won by a significant margin. Provisional results have him at 34,240 votes, ahead of nearest challenger Karl Tiefenbacher on 8807.

Incumbent Mayor Tory Whanau was not standing for re-election.

3.35pm - Oamaru has new mayor

Melanie Tavendale has been provisionally elected the new mayor of the Waitaki District.

She's received 3279 votes, ahead of nearest challenger David Wilson on 1812.

She'll replace retiring Mayor Gary Kircher.

3.23pm - Timaru Mayor Nigel Bowen holds office

Incumbent Nigel Bowen is leading in the Timaru mayoral race with 7,594 votes, securing another term as mayor.

Challenger Stuart Piddington is trailing behind with 4,135 votes, while Peter Bennett has received 2,519.

 

2.15pm - Tom Campbell leading in Invercargill

Tom Campbell is leading the mayoral race in Invercargill.

Progress results show the former Deputy Mayor with 6064 votes, ahead of nearest challenger Alex Crackett on 4167.

Incumbent Mayor Nobby Clark was not standing for re-election.

2.07pm - Queenstown has new mayor

Incumbent Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers has been unseated, provisional results show.

Lewers is trailing behind challenger John Glover.

1:55 pm 

Brand new Heathcote councillor Nathaniel Herz Jardine says he's elated and relieved by the result.

"I'm just hanging out here with some friends, celebrating with some beers," he says.

He thanks his supporters and volunteers on his campaigns, saying he plans to hit the ground running with understanding council processes and his big campaign issues in his first days as councillor.

Big issues he's campaigned for are keeping rates down, not selling off council investments and restoring abandoned shopfronts and houses in the area. He hopes his competitor, lawyer Ian Kearney, will remain a strong voice in the community.

1.52pm - Brown retains Auckland mayoralty

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has retained his seat with a huge margin.

Provisional results show Brown with 146,642 - nearly triple the number of votes of his nearest challenger, Kerrin Leoni.

Leoni had 56,612 votes.

 Ted Johnston was sitting in third place with 21,661 votes.

1:25 pm 
Out of 13 wards in Christchurch up for grabs, all 11 incumbents who ran again retained their seats. 
  • In the Banks Peninsula ward, Tyrone Fields won the seat with 2649 votes
  • In the Burwood ward, Kelly Barber won the seat with 4925 votes
  • In the Cashmere ward, Tim Scandrett won the seat with 5076 votes
  • In the Central ward, Jake McLellan won the seat with 1634 votes
  • In the Coastal ward, Celeste Donovan won the seat with 4155  votes
  • In the Fendalton ward, David Cartwright won the seat with 4707 votes
  • In the Halswell ward, Andrei Moore won the seat with 6691 votes
  • In the Heathcote ward, Nathaniel Herz Jardine won the seat with 4486 votes
  • In the Innes ward, Pauline Cotter won the seat with 2873  votes
  • In the Linwood ward, Yani Johanson won the seat with 3290 votes
  • In the Papanui ward, Victoria Henstock won the seat with 3991 votes
  • In the Riccarton, Tyla Harrison-Hunt won the seat with 1431 votes
  • In the Spreydon ward, Melanie Coker won the seat with 3733 votes

 

1:22 - Phil Mauger retains mayoralty in Christchurch

12:44 pm - Council spotlight: Christchurch

Eight candidates are up for the mayoralty in the nation's second-largest city. Incumbent Phil Mauger is running for a second consecutive term. Key campaign issues this time round for Mauger are future-proofing water infrastructure, protecting the environment and ensuring key infrastructure upgrades like Te Kaha stadium remain on track.

Current Heathcote councillor Sara Templeton is the highest profile candidate running against Mauger. She's putting all her eggs into the mayoral basket this election, leaving the Heathcote council seat vacant. When asked why she was running for mayor earlier this year, she said, "I really want to be part of leading a council and a city that is future-focused and making sure that we are both environmentally and financially stable as well as resilient to our future challenges."

37 candidates are running for council across the 16 wards, while only 13 will be contested. Hornby, Harewood and Waimari Wards received nominations only from their incumbent councillors. Meaning councillors Mark Peters, Aaron Keown & Sam MacDonald respectively will return for the next council term. All incumbents are running for re-election except for Heathcote and Fendalton ward, that means there's a garuntee of two brand new councillors for the next three years. Around 70 candidates are running for community boards across the city.

12:15 pm

What happens from here?

A Christchurch City Council spokesperson says progress results are expected to be published on Council websites and social media from 2pm, but sometimes results come in earlier. Results could still change at this stage as not all votes will have been counted. Votes received on the last morning and still in transit to the Electoral Officer will not be included. 

A preliminary result will be released once all ordinary voting papers have been counted, with special votes not being included. This'll be announced tomorrow; results could still change at this stage.

The final results will be announced once all ordinary and special votes have been counted. These will be released on or before next Thursday once special voting processes have been completed.

12:05 pm

Welcome to the Metro News live blog for the 2025 Local Body Elections. 

Voters up and down the country had until 12 pm today to get their papers in.

Last week, Local Government NZ said voting was up nearly double nationwide, with 18% of eligible voters voting 10 days out of the election. Up from 10% in 2022.

More to come...