2025 Palmerston North City Council election
11 October 2025
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| Turnout | 25,060 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Mayoral election | |||||||||||||||||||||
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16 seats on the Palmerston North City Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Palmerston North City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Palmerston North, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Palmerston North City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.
Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.
The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election. In a referendum on its future held at this election, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums, voters elected to keep 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 results were published that afternoon
- 12 October 2025: Preliminary results were published
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.[1][2]
Background
Positions up for election
Voters in the city elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors in 2 wards. They also elected several members of the Horizons Regional Council.[a][2][3]
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Pat Handcock, councillor since 2019[4]
Mayor
| Candidate[5] | Affiliation[b] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orphée Mickalad | Independent | Councillor for the Te Hirawanui general ward since 2021.[7][8] Also running for re-election as a councillor. | |
| Michael Morris | None | Environmental scientist and vegan[9] | |
| Caleb Riddick | Independent | Also running for council in the general ward | |
| Grant Smith | Independent | Incumbent mayor since 2015[10][8] | |
Councillors
Te Pūao Māori ward
Te Pūao Māori ward will return two councillors to the city council.[11]
| Candidate[5] | Affiliation[b] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rowland Prince Fitzgerald | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[12][8] | |
| Bonnie Kuru | None | ||
| Debi Marshall-Lobb | Te Pāti Māori | Incumbent deputy mayor and councillor since 2022[12][8] | |
Te Hirawanui general ward
Te Hirawanui general ward will return thirteen councillors to the city council.[11]
| Candidate[5] | Affiliation[b] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wajeha Akbaryan | Independent | ||
| Mark Arnott | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Brent Barrett | Green | Incumbent councillor since 2016[13][8] | |
| Rachel Bowen | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Melanie Butler | Independent | Previously ran for council in 2022.[14] | |
| Zulfiqar Butt | Labour | Former city councillor from 2019–2022[15] | |
| Vaughan Dennison | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2001[16][8] | |
| Kayne John Dunlop | None | ||
| Lew Findlay | Independent | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Hayden Fitzgerald | Independent | ||
| Mark Gunning | Independent | ||
| Leonie Hapeta | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Nelson Harper | Independent | Chief executive of Precycle NZ[17] | |
| Jeremy Craig Hoskins | None | ||
| Cameron Jenkins | Independent | ||
| Lorna Johnson | Labour | Incumbent councillor since 2016[15][8] | |
| Eric Judd | Independent | ||
| Jack Koh | None | ||
| Quintin McGregor | None | ||
| Billy Meehan | Independent | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Orphée Mickalad | Independent | Incumbent councillor.[8] Also running for mayor. | |
| Tobias Wilson Nash | None | ||
| Karen Naylor | Independent | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Adrian Phillips | None | ||
| Eldhose Poovathumveettil Mathew | Independent | ||
| Dave Poppelwell | Independent | Previously ran for council in 2013.[18] New Conservatives Party parliamentary candidate in 2020.[19] | |
| Atif Rahim | None | Founder of hearing aid charity Hearing for Hope.[20] Previously ran for council in 2022.[14] | |
| Caleb Riddick | Independent | Also running for mayor | |
| Zakk Rokkanno | Independent | Previously stood for council in 2022[14][21] | |
| Dave Salisbury | Independent | ||
| Michael Paul Strachan | None | ||
| Jackie Wheeler | Independent | Organiser of Palmerston North Residents group.[22] | |
| Glen Williams | ACT Local | Business owner[23][24] | |
| Verne Wilson | Independent | ||
| William George Wood | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Richard Woolgar | Independent | ||
| Kaydee Zabelin | Green | Incumbent councillor since 2022[13][8] | |
Results
With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[25][26]
Mayor
Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.[27][28]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Grant Smith | 1 | 11,991 | 15,124 | elected | |
| Independent | Orphée Mickalad | 1 | 11,991 | 5,310 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Independent | Caleb Riddick | 1 | 11,991 | 2,427 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| None | Michael Morris | 1 | 11,991 | 1,121 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Informal | 977 | |||||
| Blank | 101 | |||||
| Turnout | 25,060 | |||||
Council
Te Hirawanui general ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | William George Wood | 1 | 1604.21 | 3281 | elected | |
| None | Mark Arnott | 2 | 1600.23 | 1756.97 | elected | |
| Independent | Orphée Mickalad | 2 | 1600.23 | 1716.38 | elected | |
| Independent | Karen Naylor | 41 | 1577.35 | 1613.31 | elected | |
| None | Rachel Bowen | 44 | 1570.20 | 1582.97 | elected | |
| Independent | Lew Findlay | 48 | 1557.76 | 1604.94 | elected | |
| Independent | Vaughan Dennison | 50 | 1555.10 | 1571.57 | elected | |
| Green | Brent Barrett | 50 | 1555.10 | 1563.34 | elected | |
| Independent | Hayden Fitzgerald | 64 | 1528.91 | 1799.78 | elected | |
| Labour | Lorna Johnson | 65 | 1520.28 | 1527.58 | elected | |
| Independent | Billy Meehan | 66 | 1515.39 | 1571.35 | elected | |
| None | Leonie Hapeta | 67 | 1511.39 | 1517.87 | elected | |
| Green | Kaydee Jean Zabelin | 80 | 1490.08 | 1492.35 | elected | |
| Labour | Zulfiqar Butt | 80 | 1490.08 | 1433.89 | excluded (seats filled) | |
| ACT Local | Glen Williams | 63 | 1541.24 | 1201.43 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Jackie Wheeler | 56 | 1554.34 | 1051.19 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Mark Gunning | 47 | 1562.68 | 795.11 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Caleb Riddick | 45 | 1569.95 | 732.44 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Jeremy Craig Hoskins | 42 | 1576.88 | 583.50 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Verne Wilson | 40 | 1579.71 | 530.05 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Nelson Harper | 38 | 1581.64 | 437.56 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Wajeha Akbaryan | 36 | 1584.26 | 421.69 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Richard Woolgar | 31 | 1586.06 | 296.62 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Eldhose Poovathumveettil Mathew | 30 | 1590.19 | 234.57 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Melanie Butler | 29 | 1591.21 | 227.96 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Kayne John Dunlop | 26 | 1592.29 | 219.12 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Dave Salisbury | 22 | 1593.58 | 203.77 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Tobias Wilson Nash | 20 | 1594.01 | 174.97 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Cameron Jenkins | 19 | 1594.70 | 141.49 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Dave Poppelwell | 18 | 1595.24 | 134.49 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Quintin McGregor | 16 | 1596.42 | 130.92 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Adrian Phillips | 13 | 1597.33 | 121.11 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Eric Judd | 11 | 1597.78 | 98.94 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Atif Rahim | 10 | 1598.55 | 96.51 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Michael Paul Strachan | 7 | 1598.77 | 94.64 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Jack Koh | 4 | 1599.52 | 84.21 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Zakk Rokkanno | 3 | 1599.64 | 10.60 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Informal | 477 | |||||
| Blank | 222 | |||||
| Turnout | 23,158 | |||||
Te Pūao Māori ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Te Pāti Māori | Debi Marshall-Lobb | 1 | 614.33 | 1,087 | elected | |
| None | Bonnie Kuru | 2 | 591.72 | 803.11 | elected | |
| None | Rowland Prince Fitzgerald | 2 | 591.72 | 357.71 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Informal | 27 | |||||
| Blank | 32 | |||||
| Turnout | 1,902 | |||||
Māori wards poll
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to KEEP Māori wards | 13,373 | 55.51 | |
| I vote to REMOVE Māori wards | 10,718 | 44.49 | |
| Total | 24,091 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 24,091 | 96.13 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 969 | 3.87 | |
| Total votes | 25,060 | 100.00 | |
| Source: [25] | |||
See also
Notes
- ^
- 4 members from the city.
- 1 member partially from the city in the Tonga Māori constituency.
- ^ a b c 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. Palmerston North City Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[6]
References
- ^ "2025 Elections". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Elections 2025". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "He Arotake Kanohitanga | Representation Review". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Pat Handcock bows out, rues 'unpleasant' state of local body politics". Manawatū Standard. The Post. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Your candidates". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "PUKA ARATOHU KAITONO 2025 | 2025 CANDIDATE INFORMATION HANDBOOK" (PDF). www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (17 May 2025). "Orphée Mickalad stands for Palmerston North mayoralty". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Elected members". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Morris, Michael (27 July 2025). "Dr Michael Morris, Mayoral Candidate For Papaioea (Palmerston North)" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (16 June 2025). "Grant Smith to stand for another term as mayor". The Post. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ a b "How we elect our Council". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b Rankin, Janine (1 July 2025). "Palmerston North's deputy mayor seeks re-election". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Greens back Barrett, Zabelin for re-election to city council". Manawatū Standard. 26 May 2025.
- ^ a b c Lacy, Judith (23 August 2022). "Who is backing the PNCC candidates?". Manawatū Guardian. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ a b Rankin, Janine (24 February 2025). "Labour endorses Lorna Johnson, Zulfiqar Butt for local body election". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (5 July 2025). "Veteran councillor Vaughan Dennison stands again". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (2 July 2025). "Recycling technician Nelson Harper stands for city council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Six in mayoral race". Stuff. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "Tensions rise at Palmerston North election candidate meeting". Stuff. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ Lacy, Judith (15 July 2022). "Three 'ears for donation milestone". Manawatū Guardian. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ Carter, Ben (16 September 2022). "Local Focus: Zakk Rokkanno on Candidate Camera". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ^ Janine Rankin (30 September 2024). "'You can't just complain': Residents group meeting seeks positive change". Stuff. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (22 July 2025). "Local Business Owner, Glen Williams, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For Palmerston North City Council" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (23 July 2023). "ACT Local names candidate for Palmerston North City Council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ a b "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ "2025 local elections results". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (11 October 2025). "Palmerston North votes for mayor Grant Smith and Māori wards". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
- ^ Rankin, Janine (12 October 2025). "Smith leads a little-changed Palmerston North City Council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 October 2025.