2025 Hauraki District Council election

2025 Hauraki District Council election

11 October 2025
Mayoral election

Mayor before election

Toby Adams
Independent

Elected mayor

Toby Adams
Independent

Council election

14 seats on the Hauraki District Council
8 seats needed for a majority
Party Seats +/–
Independent

14
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2025 Hauraki District Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in the Hauraki District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Hauraki and 13 district councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Hauraki District Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system will be were used.

Incumbent mayor Toby Adams won re-election to a third term.

The council introduced a Māori ward for the term following this election. In a referendum on its future held at this election, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums, voters elected to remove the Māori ward.

Key dates

  • 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opened
  • 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates closed at 12 pm
  • 9 September 2025: Voting documents were posted and voting opened
  • 11 October 2025: Voting closed at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results were published
  • 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.[1][2][3]

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the district elected 13 councillors across 4 wards, and also the mayor of Hauraki. They also elected members of the Waikato Regional Council.[a][1][4]

Campaign

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

  • Phillip Buckthought, incumbent councillor for the Plains ward[5]
  • Carole Daley, incumbent councillor for the Paeroa ward[5]
  • Sarah Holmes, incumbent councillor for the Waihī ward[5]
  • Josh Martyn, incumbent councillor for the Waihī ward[5]
  • Bhavesh Ranchhod, incumbent councillor for the Waihī ward[5]

Mayor

The incumbent Mayor of Hauraki, Toby Adams, who was first elected in 2019, will seek re-election in 2025.[6][7]

Candidate[8] Photo Affiliation[b] Notes
Toby Adams None Incumbent mayor since 2019[5]
Levi Burton Independent Also running to be a councillor in the Waihi general ward
Roman Jackson None Also running to be a councillor in the Waihi general ward

Councillors

Plains ward

The Plains ward will return four councillors to the district council.[1]

Candidate[8] Affiliation[b] Notes
Cynthia Bates Independent
Ray Broad None Incumbent councillor[5]
Stephen Crooymans None Incumbent councillor[5]
Neil Gray None Incumbent councillor[5]
Andrew Pickford ACT Local Former international airline captain[10]

Paeroa ward

The Paeroa ward will return three councillors to the district council.[1]

Candidate[8] Affiliation[b] Notes
Grant Aitken None Former Paeroa College Principal
Michelle Magnus ACT Local Caregiver and business executive[11]
Paul Milner None Incumbent councillor[5]
Jo Tilsley None Incumbent councillor[5]
Rino Lee Wilkinson None Incumbent councillor[5]

Waihi ward

The Waihi ward will return four councillors to the district council.[1]

Candidate[8] Affiliation[b] Notes
Levi Burton None Also running for mayor
Sara Howell None Previously ran for council in 2022[12]
Roman Jackson None Also running for mayor
Austin Rattray Independent Incumbent councillor[5]
Amanda May Ryan None Previously ran for council in 2022[12]
Stuie Thompson Independent
Anne Marie Spicer Independent Incumbent councillor[5]

Te Pakikau o te Ika Māori ward

Te Pakikau o te Ika Māori ward will return two councillors to the district council.[1]

Candidate[8] Affiliation[b] Notes
Rereahu Collier Independent
Desmond Tyler None

Results

With final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[13]

Mayor

Affiliation Candidate Votes %
None Toby Adams 4,781 78.1%
None Roman Jackson 629 10.3%
Independent Levi Burton 482 7.9%
Informal 18 0.3%
Blank 210 0.3%
Majority 4,152 67.8%
Turnout 6,120

Council

Paeroa general ward

Affiliation Candidate Votes %
None Paul Armstrong Milner 1,184
None Rino Lee Wilkinson 1,103
None Jo Tilsley 1,097
None Grant Michael Aitken 998
ACT Local Michelle Elizabeth Magnus 616
Informal 4
Blank 28

Plains general ward

Affiliation Candidate Votes %
None Neil Gray 1,366
None Stephen Crooymans 1,262
None Ray Broad 1,233
Independent Cynthia Bates 772
ACT Local Andrew Pickford 640
Informal 2
Blank 16

Waihī general ward

Affiliation Candidate Votes %
Independent Anne Marie Spicer 1,663
Independent Austin Rattray 1,305
None Amanda May Ryan 1,284
None Sara Howell 1,216
Independent Stuie Thompson 685
None Roman Jackson 483
None Levi Burton 349
Informal 3
Blank 21

Te Pakikau o te Ika Māori ward

Rereahu Collier and Desmond Tyler were elected unopposed.

Māori wards poll

ChoiceVotes%
I vote to keep the Māori ward2,39242.09
I vote to remove the Māori ward3,29157.91
Total5,683100.00
Valid votes5,68392.86
Invalid/blank votes4377.14
Total votes6,120100.00
Source: [13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    • 2 members partially elected from the district in the Waihou general constituency.
    • 1 member partially elected from the district in the Thames-Coromandel general constituency.
    • 1 member partially elected from the district in the Ngā Tai ki Uta Māori constituency.
  2. ^ a b c d e A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Hauraki District Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Elections". www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Hauraki District Council. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Key Dates – Local Elections 25'". Electoral Commission (NZEC).
  3. ^ "Local authority elections are being held in October 2025". www.waikatoregion.govt.nz. Waikato Regional Council. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Constituencies". www.waikatoregion.govt.nz. Waikato Regional Council. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Mayor and Councillors". www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Hauraki District Council. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Hauraki Mayor stands for third term". Coromandel FM (CFM). 7 April 2025.
  7. ^ Martin, Matthew (15 January 2025). "The race is on for the region's top jobs". Waikato Times. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Who's Standing – Elections 2025?". www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Hauraki District Council. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Your candidate's guide to local authority elections" (PDF). www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Hauraki District Council. p. 10. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  10. ^ ACT New Zealand (30 July 2025). "ACT Announces Andrew Pickford As ACT Local Candidate For Hauraki" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Michelle Magnus, selected as candidate for Hauraki District Council". www.actlocal.nz. ACT Local. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b Smith, Alison (28 July 2022). "Elections 2022: Hauraki mayor returns unopposed". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Final results". www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Hauraki District Council. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.