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11 October 2025
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| Turnout | 16,377 (48.07%) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Mayoral election | |||||||||||||||||||||
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14 seats on the Gisborne District Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2025 Gisborne District Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in the Gisborne District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Gisborne and 13 district councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Gisborne District Council. Postal voting and the single transferable voting system were used.
Incumbent mayor Rehette Stoltz was re-elected 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 retain the Māori ward.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opens.
- 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates close at 12 noon.
- 9–22 September 2025: Voting documents delivered to enrolled voters and voting opens.
- 11 October 2025: Voting closes at 12 noon. Progress/preliminary results will be published
- 13–17 October 2025: Official count and final results announced.
- 17 October 2025: Final results declared by public notice.[1]
Background
![[icon]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/1280px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png) | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (July 2025) |
Positions up for election
Voters in the district elected the mayor of Gisborne and 13 district councillors in 2 wards.
Campaign
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (July 2025) |
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, councillor for the Māori ward since 2022[2]
- Tony Robinson, councillor for the general ward, resigned to take up the position of key account manager for the council[2][3]
- Josh Wharehinga, deputy mayor and councillor since 2014[4]
Mayor
| Candidate[1] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Alder | None | Incumbent councillor.[6][7] Also running for re-election as a councillor for the Tairāwhiti general ward. | |
| Jono Samson | None | Former contestant on Lego Masters NZ. Also running to be a councillor for the Tairāwhiti general ward.[8] | |
| Rehette Stoltz | None | Incumbent mayor since 2019[2][7] | |
Councillors
Tairāwhiti Māori ward
Tairāwhiti Māori ward will return five councillors to the district council.[9]
| Candidate[1] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackie Akuhata-Brown | None | ||
| Raawiri Gilgen | None | ||
| Chris Haenga | None | ||
| Anne Huriwai | None | ||
| Mateawa Keelan | None | ||
| Elizabeth Kerekere | None | Former Green Party MP (2020–2023)[8][10] | |
| Rawinia Parata | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[11][7] | |
| Aubrey Ria | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[11][7] | |
| Kat Taylor | None | ||
| Rhonda Tibble | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[11][7] | |
| Nick Tupara | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[11][7] | |
Tairāwhiti General ward
The Tairāwhiti General ward will return eight councillors to the district council.[9]
| Candidate[1] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Adler | None | Incumbent councillor.[6][7] Also running for mayor. | |
| Ian Allan | None | ||
| Alexandra Boros | Independent | Artist and interior designer[12] | |
| Darin Brown | None | Previously ran for mayor and for the council in the Māori ward in 2022[13] | |
| Grant Brown | None | ||
| Marcel Campbell | Independent | ||
| Andy Cranston | None | Incumbent councillor for over 20 years[2][7] | |
| Jodie Curtis | None | ||
| Larry Foster | None | Incumbent councillor since 2016[2][7] | |
| Samuel Gibson | None | Author and conservationist known as "Sam the Trap Man"[8] | |
| Debbie Gregory | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2019[2][7] | |
| Gazza McKenzie | None | ||
| Jeremy Muir | None | Former editor of the Gisborne Herald.[8] | |
| Ian George Procter | Independent | Former public servant. Previously ran for council in the Māori ward in 2022.[14][15] | |
| Jono Samson | None | ||
| Rob Telfer | None | Incumbent councillor[7] | |
| Teddy Thompson | Independent | Incumbent councillor[7] | |
| Jordan Walker | None | Green Party endorsed[16] | |
| Blake Neil Webb | None | ||
Results
Overall turnout for the election was 48.1% (50.3% in the general ward, and 43.8% in the Māori ward), with 16,377 voting papers returned.[17] This was up from a turnout of 43.4% in the 2022 election,[18] but down from a turnout of 50.1% in the 2019 election.[19] Gisborne's turnout was 8.7% higher than the national average for this years elections.[19]
Mayor
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Rank | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Rehette Stoltz | 1 | 7,991 | 8,147 | 1 | elected | |
| None | Colin Alder | 1 | 7,991 | 5,984 | excluded | ||
| None | Jono Samson | 1 | 7,991 | 1,851 | excluded | ||
| Informal | 46 | ||||||
| Blank | 349 | ||||||
| Turnout | 16,377 | ||||||
Tairāwhiti General ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Rank | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Colin Alder | 1 | 1,210.33 | 2,682.00 | 1 | elected | |
| None | Rob Telfer | 3 | 1,206.33 | 1,206.72 | 2 | elected | |
| None | Samuel Oak Vette Gibson | 10 | 1,196.17 | 1,230.02 | 3 | elected | |
| None | Jeremy Muir | 10 | 1,196.17 | 1,218.87 | 4 | elected | |
| Independent | Alexandra Boros | 17 | 1,174.94 | 1,211.24 | 5 | elected | |
| Independent | Debbie Gregory | 19 | 1,156.47 | 1,167.07 | 6 | elected | |
| None | Larry Foster | 21 | 1,146.12 | 1,174.53 | 7 | elected | |
| Independent | Teddy Thompson | 23 | 1,141.75 | 1,159.45 | 8 | elected | |
| None | Andy Cranston | 23 | 1,141.75 | 1,021.74 | excluded | ||
| None | Jordan Walker | 18 | 1,172.90 | 675.17 | excluded | ||
| None | Ian James Allan | 16 | 1,177.41 | 549.51 | excluded | ||
| None | Grant Brown | 14 | 1,190.06 | 492.43 | excluded | ||
| None | Jono Samson | 11 | 1,195.59 | 385.26 | excluded | ||
| Independent | Marcel Archibald Campbell | 9 | 1,1198.13 | 342.46 | excluded | ||
| Independent | Ian George Procter | 8 | 1,201.97 | 326.07 | excluded | ||
| None | Darin Brown | 6 | 1,1204.52 | 286.90 | excluded | ||
| None | Jodie John Curtis | 4 | 1,205.65 | 159.54 | excluded | ||
| None | Blake Neil Webb | 3 | 1,206.33 | 127.15 | excluded | ||
| None | Gazza McKenzie | 2 | 1,206.80 | 51.23 | excluded | ||
| Informal | 248 | ||||||
| Blank | 97 | ||||||
| Turnout | 11,238 | ||||||
Tairāwhiti Māori ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Iteration | Iteration quota | Votes received | Rank | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Aubrey Ria | 1 | 838.17 | 1,163.00 | 1 | elected | |
| None | Rhonda Tibble | 3 | 832.20 | 843.72 | 2 | elected | |
| None | Rawinia Parata | 7 | 826.93 | 835.54 | 3 | elected | |
| None | Nick Tupara | 12 | 809.10 | 872.28 | 4 | elected | |
| None | Anne Huriwai | 16 | 789.58 | 803.34 | 5 | elected | |
| None | Chris Thomas Haenga | 16 | 789.58 | 721.97 | excluded | ||
| None | Elizabeth Kerekere | 11 | 817.13 | 515.34 | excluded | ||
| None | Raawiri Gilgen | 7 | 826.93 | 216.69 | excluded | ||
| None | Jackie Akuhata-Brown | 6 | 829.72 | 197.59 | excluded | ||
| None | Mateawa Keelan | 4 | 831.97 | 159.31 | excluded | ||
| None | Kat Taylor | 2 | 836.35 | 145.89 | excluded | ||
| Informal | 81 | ||||||
| Blank | 29 | ||||||
| Turnout | 5,139 | ||||||
Māori ward referendum
| Option | ||
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
 Y Keep
|
9,904 | 63.45 |
 N Remove
|
5,704 | 36.55 |
| Valid votes cast | 15,608 | 95.30 |
| Informal votes | 6 | 0.04 |
| Blank votes | 763 | 4.66 |
| Total votes cast | 16,377 | 100 |
| Māori ward referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Keep 9,904 (63.5%) |
Remove 5,704 (36.5%) |
| ▲ 50% | |
Notes
- ^ 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. Gisborne District Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d "2025 local elections". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Campbell, Zita (5 March 2025). "Gisborne Election: Mayor to run again, three councillors to step down". Stuff. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (17 April 2025). "From one council role to another: 'Now I get to do the action stuff'". Gisborne Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (2 January 2025). "Gisborne deputy mayor Josh Wharehinga won't seek re-election after 12 years in local government". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Puka whakamārama kaitono rohē pōti | Candidate information handbook 2025" (PDF). www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b Wrigley, Wynsley (14 July 2025). "Gisborne councillor Colin Alder considers another run for mayor". Gisborne Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Councillor contact details". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Zita (5 August 2025). "Lego master and ex-Green MP among candidates for Gisborne council". The Gisborne Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Determination" (PDF). www.lgc.govt.nz. Local Government Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita. "Former Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere runs for Māori Ward". 1News. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Zita. "Four out of five Māori Ward Gisborne Councillors to seek re-election". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (1 August 2025). "'People over politics': Candidate's vision for Gisborne's future". Gisborne Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
- ^ "Gisborne mayoral candidate stands by social media image of him wearing swastika". The New Zealand Herald. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (25 July 2025). "'P for positive': Former public servant running for Gisborne councillor role". Gisborne Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "Ian George Procter – Candidate for Gisborne District Council – 2022". Policy.nz. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ "Jordan Walker". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "Election results". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ "Final election results: Meet your new Council". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ a b Campbell, Zita (20 October 2025). "Gisborne voter turnout above national average as final results confirmed". Gisborne Herald. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d "LGE 2025 – Preliminary" (PDF). Gisborne District Council. 12 October 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2025.
