2025 Porirua City Council election
11 October 2025
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| Turnout | 17,623 (40.70% 3.36 pp) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Mayoral election | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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11 seats on the Porirua City Council 6 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Porirua City Council election was a local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in Porirua, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Porirua and 10 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Porirua City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.
Incumbent mayor Anita Baker won re-election to a third 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.
A majority of voters also voted in favour of exploring amalgamation with the Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Greater Wellington councils, in an indicative poll on the issue.
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]
Background
Positions up for election
Voters in the city elected the mayor of Porirua and 10 city councillors across 3 wards. They also elected several members of the Greater Wellington Regional Council.[3]
Māori wards referendum
In May 2021, the Porirua City Council voted to establish a Māori ward,[4] with the Parirua Māori ward first contested in the 2022 elections.[5]
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing Māori wards or constituencies. In August 2024, the council voted unanimously to affirm their decision to establish the Māori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.[5][6]
Amalgamation referendum
In May 2025, Porirua City Council voted to also hold an indicative referendum alongside the election regarding potential amalgamation of the council with Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.[7]
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Tracy Johnson, incumbent councillor for the Pāuatahanui general ward[8]
Mayor
| Candidate[9] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anita Baker | Independent | Incumbent mayor since 2019[12][13] | ||
| Kathleen Filo | Independent | Councillor for the Onepoto ward since 2022.[14] Also running for re-election as a councillor in the Onepoto general ward. | ||
| Ura Wilson-Pokoati | Independent | Also running to be a councillor in the Onepoto general ward | ||
Councillors
Parirua Māori ward
Parirua Māori ward will return one councillor to the city council.[15]
| Candidate[9] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raniera (Daniel) Albert | Independent | ||
| Rawinia Te Rimene | Independent | ||
| Jess Te Huia | Independent | Previously ran for the council in the Onepoto general ward in 2022[16] | |
| Kylie Wihapi | None | Incumbent councillor and deputy mayor[8] | |
Onepoto General ward
The Onepoto General ward will return five councillors to the city council.[15]
| Candidate[9] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miriam Albert | Independent | ||
| Angel Domingos | None | ||
| Mike Duncan | None | Incumbent councillor[17][8] | |
| Chris Ellis | None | Community lawyer[18] | |
| Hemi Fermanis | Real Talk, Real Change | ||
| Kathleen Filo | Independent | Incumbent councillor.[8] Also running for mayor. | |
| Jaistone Finau | None | ||
| Izzy Ford | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Moze Galo | None | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Geoff Hayward | Labour | Incumbent councillor[19][8] | |
| Sharon Hilling | None | ||
| Zac Painting | Green | Policy analyst and teacher[20] | |
| Siobhan Samuel | None | ||
| Ura Wilson-Pokoati | Independent | Also running for mayor | |
| Yan Zhang | Shared Kitchen and Sensory Hub Builder | [21][22] | |
Pāuatahanui General ward
The Pāuatahanui General ward will return four councillors to the city council.[15]
| Candidate[9] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Ching | None | Previously ran for council in 2022[23][22] | |
| Phill Houlihan | ACT Local | Barber and law student[24][25] | |
| Moira Lawler | None | Community advocate[26][27] | |
| Ross Leggett | Independent | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
| Paul Nation | None | ||
| Aditi Tiwari | Green[28] | Student at Victoria University of Wellington[29][22] | |
| Josh Trlin | Labour | Incumbent councillor[30][8] | |
| Nathan Waddle | Independent | Incumbent councillor[8] | |
Results
Overall turnout was 40.7%, with 17,623 voting papers returned.[31]
With final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[31]
Summary
| Ward | Previous | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Anita Baker | Anita Baker | ||
| Onepoto | Kathleen Filo | Kathleen Filo | ||
| Geoff Hayward | Geoff Hayward | |||
| Mike Duncan | Mike Duncan | |||
| Izzy Ford | Izzy Ford | |||
| Moze Galo | Hemi Fermanis | |||
| Pāuatahanui | Josh Trlin | Josh Trlin | ||
| Nathan Waddle | Nathan Waddle | |||
| Ross Leggett | Ross Leggett | |||
| Tracy Johnson | Moira Lawler | |||
| Parirua Māori | Kylie Wihapi | Kylie Wihapi | ||
Mayor
Incumbent mayor Anita Baker won re-election to a third term.[32]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: * indicates an incumbent | ||||||
| Independent | Anita Baker* | 2 | 8,484 | 8,935 | elected | |
| Independent | Kathleen Filo | 2 | 8,484 | 8,033 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Independent | Ura Wilson-Pokoati | 1 | 8,654 | 1,565 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Informal | 39 | |||||
| Blank | 277 | |||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
Parirua Māori ward
Incumbent deputy mayor Kylie Wihapi won re-election to the council by only 11 votes over second-place candidate Jess Te Huia.[32] Te Huia filed for a recount.[33] The Porirua District Court conducted the recount and subsequently disallowed two special votes from Wihapi, however, this still resulted in Wihapi winning re-election.[34]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: * indicates an incumbent | ||||||
| None | Kylie Wihapi* | 3 | 931 | 934 | elected | |
| Independent | Jess Te Huia | 3 | 931 | 925 | excluded (seat filled) | |
| Independent | Raniera (Daniel) Albert | 2 | 959 | 319 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Rawinia Rimene | 1 | 970 | 208 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Informal | 12 | |||||
| Blank | 28 | |||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
Onepoto General Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: * indicates an incumbent | ||||||
| Independent | Kathleen Filo* | 1 | 1,251.33 | 1,684 | elected | |
| Labour | Geoff Hayward* | 1 | 1,251.33 | 1,337 | elected | |
| None | Mike Duncan* | 13 | 1,220.83 | 1,220.84 | elected | |
| None | Izzy Ford* | 17 | 1,197.81 | 1,281.95 | elected | |
| Real Talk, Real Change | Hemi Fermanis | 22 | 1,138.56 | 1,145.78 | elected | |
| None | Moze Galo* | 22 | 1,138.56 | 981.44 | excluded (seats filled) | |
| Green | Zac Painting | 19 | 1,185.20 | 589.40 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Ura Wilson-Pokoati | 16 | 1,210.15 | 479.43 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Jaistone Finau | 13 | 1,220.83 | 421.34 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Chris Ellis | 11 | 1,228.30 | 393.48 | excluded (least votes) | |
| MyRates MyLocal Thriving Communities | Yan Zhang | 8 | 1,239.15 | 340.98 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Siobhan Samuel | 6 | 1,242.00 | 218.70 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Independent | Miriam Albert | 5 | 1,242.79 | 108.80 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Angel Domingos | 4 | 1,243.72 | 70.39 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Sharon Hilling | 3 | 1,245.02 | 54.32 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Informal | 72 | |||||
| Blank | 109 | |||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
| Labour hold | ||||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
| Independent gain from Independent | ||||||
Pāuatahanui General Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: * indicates an incumbent | ||||||
| Labour | Josh Trlin* | 3 | 1,550.60 | 1,774 | elected | |
| Independent | Nathan Waddle* | 5 | 1,522.56 | 1,667.60 | elected | |
| None | Moira Lawler | 5 | 1,522.56 | 1,576.41 | elected | |
| Independent | Ross Leggett* | 5 | 1,522.56 | 1,575.77 | elected | |
| ACT Local | Phil Houlihan | 5 | 1,522.56 | 1,170.38 | excluded (seats filled) | |
| None | Brent Ching | 4 | 1,545.10 | 872.23 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Green | Aditi Tiwari | 2 | 1,557.00 | 639 | excluded (least votes) | |
| None | Paul Nation | 1 | 1,569.60 | 605 | excluded (least votes) | |
| Informal | 18 | |||||
| Blank | 86 | |||||
| Labour hold | ||||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
| Independent gain from Independent | ||||||
| Independent hold | ||||||
Māori ward referendum
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to keep the Māori ward | 11,775 | 69.20 | |
| I vote to remove the Māori ward | 5,240 | 30.80 | |
| Total | 17,015 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 17,015 | 96.55 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 608 | 3.45 | |
| Total votes | 17,623 | 100.00 | |
| Source: [31] | |||
| Māori ward referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Keep 11,775 (69.2%) |
Remove 5,240 (30.8%) |
| ▲ 50% | |
Amalgamation referendum
A majority of Porirua voters voted in favour of exploring amalgamation with the Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt councils.[35]
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 9,581 | 56.43 | |
| No | 7,399 | 43.57 | |
| Total | 16,980 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 16,980 | 96.35 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 643 | 3.65 | |
| Total votes | 17,623 | 100.00 | |
| Source: [31] | |||
| Amalgamation referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Yes 9,581 (56.4%) |
No 7,399 (43.6%) |
| ▲ 50% | |
See also
- 2025 Greater Wellington Regional Council election
- 2025 Wellington City Council election
- 2025 Kāpiti Coast District Council election
- 2025 Hutt City Council election
- 2025 Upper Hutt City Council election
Notes
- ^ a b c d A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket, political party, whānau, hapū, or iwi.[10] Porirua City Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[11]
References
- ^ "Key dates timeline". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Elections". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Representation arrangements". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Williams, Katarina (19 August 2021). "Major changes in way Porirua City councillors are elected set for consultation". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Porirua to retain Māori ward and go to a poll". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Murray, Anna (6 September 2024). "Māori wards deadline: Most councils stand firm, express frustration". 1News. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (29 May 2025). "Porirua voters to have their say on region-wide council amalgamation". The Post. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Your Councillors". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d "2025 Triennial Elections | Porirua City Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Porirua City Council. p. 12. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Stand | E tū". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ James, Nick (4 February 2025). "Are Wellington's council leaders running for the top jobs again this year?". RNZ. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (28 January 2025). "Porirua mayor announces campaign for third term". The Post. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (7 July 2025). "Porirua councillor announces mayoralty run". The Post. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Find your ward". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Four candidates for mayoralty". Kapi-Mana News. PressReader.com – Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ "Mike Duncan seeks second term on Porirua City Council". Porirua News. 13 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (17 August 2025). "Community lawyer Chris Ellis announces election run". Porirua News. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (17 July 2025). "Geoff Hayward running again in the Onepoto Ward". Porirua News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Zac Painting for Onepoto General Ward, Porirua City Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Yan Zhang is running for election in the Onepoto Ward". Porirua News. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Sharma, Gaurav (27 August 2025). "The Asian candidates contesting local government seats in Wellington". RNZ. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ "Brent Ching – Candidate for Porirua City Council – 2022". Policy.nz. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (25 June 2025). "Local Barber And Law Student, Phill Houlihan, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For Porirua City Council Election". www.scoop.co.nz. Scoop. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (4 August 2025). "Phil Houlihan – Candidate Profile for Pāuatahanui General Ward". Porirua News. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (14 July 2025). "Moira Lawler Launches Bid for Pāuatahanui Ward". Porirua News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Lawler, Moira (1 July 2025). "Moira Lawler launches campaign for Porirua's Pāuatahanui Ward" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Aditi Tiwari for Pāuatahanui General Ward, Porirua City Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Laughton, Harriet (21 June 2025). "Fears for the would-be female mayors". The Post. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (18 July 2025). "Josh Trlin announces campaign for re-election". Porirua News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ a b Wong, Justin (16 October 2025). "Porirua's Māori councillor re-elected with nail-biting majority". The Post. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (22 October 2025). "Porirua Māori ward candidate files for recount". The Post. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
- ^ O'Dwyer, Ellen (13 November 2025). "Kylie Wihapi confrimed as Porirua Māori Ward councillor". RNZ. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ^ James, Nick (11 October 2025). "Wellington satellite cities to explore amalgamation of councils". RNZ. Retrieved 12 October 2025.