2025 Invercargill City Council election
11 October 2025
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Mayoral election | |||||||||
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13 seats on the Invercargill City Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||
The 2025 Invercargill City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Invercargill, New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Invercargill, 12 city councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the Invercargill City Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.
Tom Campbell, councillor and deputy mayor since 2022, was elected to the mayoralty, replacing retiring mayor Nobby Clark.
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 results were published later that day
- 11–12 October 2025: Preliminary results released[1]
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.[2][3]
Background
Positions up for election
Voters in the city elected the mayor of Invercargill, 12 city councillors at-large, the members of the Bluff Community Board, and the members of the Invercargill Licensing Trust.[4] They also elected six members of Environment Southland.[3]
Campaign
Debates
A mayoral candidates debate hosted by broadcaster Duncan Garner was held at the Ascot Park Hotel. Candidates participating in the debate included Alex Crackett, Ian Pottinger, Ria Bond, Tom Campbell, Steve Chernishov, Tom Morton, and Andrew Clark. The debate covered a range of topics including boosting the local economy and infrastructure. Mayoral candidate Gordon McCrone was excluded by the organiser due to his connection to a controversial website.[5]
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Nobby Clark, mayor since 2022[6][7]
- Peter Kett, councillor[8]
- Lesley Soper, councillor since 2016[8]
Mayor
| Candidate[9] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ria Bond | Independent | Councillor since 2022.[11] Also running for re-election as a councillor.[12][7] | |
| Tom Campbell | None | Deputy mayor since 2022[6][13][11] | |
| Stevey Chernishov | None | Brand developer. Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[14][15] | |
| Andrew Clark | None | Brother of incumbent mayor Nobby Clark. Also running for mayor in the Tasman District under the name Maxwell Clark.[16][17] | |
| Alex Crackett | Independent | Councillor since 2016.[18][13][6] Also running for re-election as a councillor. | |
| Gordon McCrone | Advanced Task Force Political Party | [19] | |
| Tom Morton | Independent | Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[20] Also running for council.[12] | |
| Ian Pottinger | None | Councillor since 2010.[6][13] Also running for council. | |
Withdrawn
- Lynley McKerrow, former Invercargill town crier, had announced her intention to run for the mayoralty in June.[21] She withdrew her candidacy for mayor in July, citing not wanting to split the vote, and indicated she would instead just run as a councillor.[22][23]
Council
Twelve councillors will be elected at-large to the city council.[4]
| Candidate[9] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allan Arnold | None | Incumbent councillor since 2016[24][11] | |
| Ria Bond | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2022.[11] Also running for mayor.[12] | |
| Trish Boyle | Integrity, Independence | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][11] | |
| Steve Broad | None | Incumbent councillor since 2023[8][11] | |
| Jay Coote | Independent | ||
| Pania Coote | Consumer Advocate | Incumbent mana whenua representative for Te Rūnanga o Awarua[25][26] | |
| Alex Crackett | Independent | Incumbent councillor.[11] Also running for mayor. | |
| Chris Dawson | None | ||
| Grant Dermody | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][11] | |
| Andrea de Vries | None | ||
| Carl Heenan | None | Previously ran in the 2023 council by-election[27] | |
| Karl Herman | None | Previously ran for council in 2022[28] | |
| Carol (CJ) Jasperse | None | ||
| Terry King | Advocate and Lobbyist for Invercargill | ||
| Amanda Laurie | None | ||
| Darren Ludlow | None | Incumbent councillor[8][11] | |
| Marcus Lush | None | Broadcaster and former councillor (2021–2022)[29] | |
| Lynley McKerrow | None | Former Invercargill town crier[23] | |
| David Meades | Independent | Previously ran in the 2023 council by-election[27] | |
| Tom Morton | Independent | Also running for mayor | |
| Dan O'Connell | None | ||
| Noel Peterson | Independent- Serving Community | Previously ran for council in 2022[30] | |
| Ian Pottinger | None | Incumbent councillor since 2010.[11] Also running for mayor. | |
| Ian Reeves | None | Previously ran in the 2023 council by-election[27] | |
| Barry Stewart | None | Incumbent councillor[8][11] | |
| Lisa Tou-McNaughton | Positivity, Partnership and Progress | Previously ran in the 2023 council by-election[27] | |
| Tony van der Lem | None | ||
Results
With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[31][1]
Mayor
Deputy mayor Tom Campbell was elected as mayor.[31][32]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Tom Campbell | 6,948 | 38.6% | |
| Independent | Alex Crackett | 5,202 | 28.9% | |
| None | Ian Pottinger | 2,322 | 12.9% | |
| Independent | Ria Bond | 1,803 | 10% | |
| Independent | Tom Morton | 711 | 4% | |
| None | Andrew Clark | 291 | 1.6% | |
| None | Stevey Chernishov | 229 | 1.3% | |
| Advanced Task Force Political Party | Gordon McCrone | 66 | 0.4% | |
| Informal | 75 | 0.4% | ||
| Blank | 324 | 1.9% | ||
| Majority | 1,746 | 9.7% | ||
| Turnout | 17,996 | |||
Council
All incumbent councillors running for re-election were successful, as well as former councillor Marcus Lush. They are joined by new councillors Andrea de Vries and Lisa Tou McNaughton.
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Steve Broad | 11,503 | ||
| Independent | Alex Crackett | 10,056 | ||
| None | Marcus Lush | 8,396 | ||
| None | Grant Dermody | 8,321 | ||
| Integrity, Independence | Trish Boyle | 7,457 | ||
| Independent | Ria Bond | 7,373 | ||
| None | Darren Ludlow | 7,371 | ||
| None | Ian Pottinger | 7,195 | ||
| None | Allan Arnold | 6,105 | ||
| None | Andrea de Vries | 5,920 | ||
| Positivity, Partnership and Progress | Lisa Tou McNaughton | 5,816 | ||
| None | Barry Stewart | 5,710 | ||
| None | Ian Reeves | 5,689 | ||
| None | Lynley McKerrow | 5,608 | ||
| Independent | David Meades | 5,414 | ||
| None | Karl Herman | 4,788 | ||
| Advocate and Lobbyist for Invercargill | Terry King | 4,691 | ||
| None | Chris Dawson | 4,510 | ||
| Independent | Jay Coote | 4,137 | ||
| Consumer Advocate | Pania Coote | 3,904 | ||
| None | Tony van der Lem | 3,749 | ||
| Independent | Tom Morton | 3,268 | ||
| None | Carl Heenan | 2,979 | ||
| None | Dan O'Connell | 2,320 | ||
| None | Amanda Laurie | 2,128 | ||
| Independent - Serving Community | Noel Peterson | 1,301 | ||
| None | Carol (CJ) Jasperse | 1,005 | ||
| Informal | 51 | |||
| Blank | 132 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
Notes
- ^ a b 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. Invercargill City Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Elections 2025 Results – Invercargill City Council". www.icc.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "2025 Elections". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Elections". www.es.govt.nz. Environment Southland. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Stand for Council". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (20 August 2025). "Visions for city shared". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d Fallow, Michael (10 March 2025). "Ian Pottinger to run for Invercargill mayoralty". The Southland Times. The Press. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b Rosenberg, Matthew (17 June 2025). "Nobby rules out return; another councillor joins race". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Rosenberg, Matthew (8 July 2025). "Invercargill losing long-serving councillors". Otago Daily Times.
- ^ a b "2025 Triennial Elections | Invercargill City Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. p. 14. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Mayor and Councillors". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "'My word is my Bond': Invercargill councillor Ria Bond seeks mayoralty". The Press. 10 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Girao, Luisa (11 March 2025). "Councillor tees off his mayoralty bid". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Fallow, Michael (27 July 2025). "Familiar faces still dominate south's local election nominations". The Southland Times. The Press. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ Jamieson, Debbie (19 August 2022). "Candidate running for three councils say he's an anthropologist, not a conspiracy theorist". Stuff. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Nobby Clark not impressed by brother's surprise mayoral bid". Stuff. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ Fallow, Michael (1 August 2025). "Nobby Clark's brother standing for Invercargill and Tasman mayoralties". The Southland Times. The Press. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Crackett announces bid for Invercargill mayoralty". southlandapp.nz. The Southland App Advocate Communications. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Concerns raised over mayoral candidate's disturbing online content". The Southland Tribune. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Savory, Logan (1 August 2022). "Sixty-year-old 'TikToker' Tom Morton after Invercargill mayor's job". Stuff. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ "Town crier eyes city's mayoral chains". Otago Daily Times. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ Savory, Logan (10 July 2025). "Town crier opts out of Invercargill mayoral race". The Southland Tribune. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b Fallow, Michael (16 July 2025). "McKerrow steps aside from Invercargill mayoral race". The Southland Times. The Press. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Aimee (15 July 2025). "Pre-election Q+A with Allan Arnold". What's On Invers. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ "Mana whenua representatives". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (2 August 2025). "Rep aims for full council role". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d Fallow, Michael (8 June 2023). "Asha Dutt steps forward to join crowded contest for ICC by-election". Stuff. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Questions put to Invercargill City Council candidates". Otago Daily Times. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ Savory, Logan (1 August 2025). "Marcus Lush back in council election mix". The Southland Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ Rosenberg, Matthew (7 December 2024). "Invercargill wizard feels city rejected him". RNZ. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ "Invercargill: Campbell confirmed as mayor". The Southland Times. The Press. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.