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11 October 2025
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| Turnout | 21,325 (45.78%) | |||||||||
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Mayoral election | ||||||||||
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13 seats on the Napier City Council 7 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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The 2025 Napier City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Napier, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Napier and 11 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Napier City Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.
Councillor Richard McGrath won the mayoralty, defeating incumbent mayor Kirsten Wise.
The council voted to introduce a Māori ward for 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 for future elections.
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
![[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 elected the mayor of Napier and 12 councillors from 4 wards. They also elected 4 members of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.[a][3][4]
Campaign
| This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (July 2025) |
Māori wards referendum
A group called For Wards Hawke's Bay formed to support the pro-ward position at the referendums in the wider Hawke's Bay region. The group will hold a meeting on 23 July in Clive chaired by regional council chair Rex Graham, with various speakers including local Presbyterian minister Jill McDonald, Hastings Māori ward councillor Heather Te Au-Skipworth, HB Multicultural Society president Rizwaana Latiff and Hayley Whittaker from the Public Service Association.[5]
Hawke's Bay Today asked the mayoral candidates whether they supported the group; mayor Wise said she had been working closely with them, Richard McGrath said he had no opinion on the group, and Nigel Simpson said he was not familiar with the group and that he was against Māori wards.[6]
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Maxine Boag, councillor since 2007[7]
- Annette Brosnan, incumbent deputy mayor and fourth-term councillor[8]
- Hayley Browne, councillor since 2019, is instead running for a seat on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council[9]
- Chad Tareha, first-term councillor for the Taradale ward[8]
Mayor
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[b] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard McGrath | Commonsense change, needs before wants | Councillor since 2014.[9][8] Also running for re-election as a councillor for the Napier Central general ward. | |
| Nigel Simpson | Independent | Councillor since 2019, stood for the mayoralty in 2022 and lost to Wise.[12] Also running for re-election as a councillor for the Taradale general ward. | |
| Kirsten Wise | Independent | Incumbent mayor since 2019[7] | |
Councillors
Te Whanga Māori ward
Te Whanga Māori ward will return two councillors to the city council.[13]
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whare Isaac-Sharland | None | [14] | |
| Kirk Kia-maia Leonard | None | [14] | |
| Shyann Raihania | None | [14] | |
Ahuriri general ward
Ahuriri general ward will return three councillors to the city council.[13]
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iain Bradley | ACT Local | [15] | |
| Roger Brownlie | Independent | Retailer and orchardist[14] | |
| Louise Burnside | Independent | ||
| Sally Crown | Experienced, Strong, Grounded | Incumbent councillor since 2019[7][8] | |
| Karl Goodchild | Lower Rates | Previously ran for council in 2022[16] | |
| Juliet Greig | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[7][8] | |
| Lyndal Johansson | Independent, fresh voice | [14] | |
| Ben Newport | Independent | ||
| Keith Price | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2010[7][8] | |
Napier Central general ward
Napier Central general ward will return three councillors to the city council.[13]
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Te Kira Lawrence | Independent | Previously ran for council in 2022[17] | |
| Taiatini Lepaio | Independent | [14] | |
| Greg 'Grego' Mawson | Working with you, for you | Incumbent councillor since 2019[7][8][14] | |
| Richard McGrath | Your Community Representative | Incumbent councillor since 2014.[8] Also running for mayor. | |
| Craig Morley | Get back to basics | ||
Taradale general ward
Taradale general ward will return three councillors to the city council.[13]
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronda Chrystal | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2019[7][8][14] | |
| Terry Cornish | None | Semi-retired businessman[14] | |
| Nigel Simpson | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2019.[8] Also running for mayor. | |
| Graeme Taylor | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2010[7][8][14] | |
Results
Overall turnout for the election was 45.78%, with 21,325 voting papers returned.[18]
With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[18]
Mayor
Councillor Richard McGrath won the mayoralty, defeating incumbent mayor Kirsten Wise.[19]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonsense change, needs before wants | Richard McGrath | 10,185 | 47.8% | |
| Independent | Kirsten Wise | 6,763 | 31.7% | |
| Independent | Nigel Simpson | 3,989 | 18.7% | |
| Informal | 12 | 0.1% | ||
| Blank | 376 | 1.7% | ||
| Majority | 3,422 | 16.2% | ||
| Turnout | 21,325 | |||
Council
Ahuriri General Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Roger Brownlie | 3,547 | ||
| Independent | Keith Price | 2,946 | ||
| Experienced, Strong, Grounded | Sally Crown | 2,584 | ||
| ACT Local | Iain Bradley | 2,325 | ||
| Independent | Louise Burnside | 1,980 | ||
| Lower Rates | Karl Goodchild | 1,805 | ||
| Independent, fresh voice | Lyndal Johansson | 1,764 | ||
| None | Juliet Greig | 1,510 | ||
| Independent | Ben Newport | 1,158 | ||
| Informal | 9 | |||
| Blank | 118 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
Napier Central General Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working with you, for you | Greg 'Grego' Mawson | 3,038 | ||
| Get back to basics | Craig Morley | 2,342 | ||
| Independent | Te Kira Lawrence | 1,983 | ||
| Independent | Taiatini Lepaio | 1,370 | ||
| Your Community Representative | Richard McGrath (withdrawn[c]) | 3,685 | ||
| Informal | 2 | |||
| Blank | 85 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
Taradale General Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Graeme Taylor | 4,560 | ||
| Independent | Ronda Chrystal | 4,311 | ||
| Independent | Nigel Simpson | 3,860 | ||
| None | Terry Cornish | 3,085 | ||
| Informal | 1 | |||
| Blank | 163 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
Te Whanga Māori Ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Shyann Raihania | 1,049 | ||
| None | Whare Isaac-Sharland | 764 | ||
| None | Kirk Kia-maia Leonard | 566 | ||
| Informal | 0 | |||
| Blank | 45 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
Māori Ward Poll
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to keep the Māori ward | 8,844 | 43.14 | |
| I vote to remove the Māori ward | 11,656 | 56.86 | |
| Total | 20,500 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 20,500 | 96.13 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 825 | 3.87 | |
| Total votes | 21,325 | 100.00 | |
| Source: [18] | |||
See also
Notes
- ^
- 3 representing the city exclusively.
- 1 representing the wider region from a Māori constituency.
- ^ 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. Napier City Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[11]
- ^ Elected as mayor
References
- ^ "Do you have what it takes to run for Napier City Council?" (PDF). www.napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Local Elections". www.hbrc.govt.nz. Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Voting in local elections". www.hbrc.govt.nz. Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Constituencies". www.hbrc.govt.nz. Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ "Announcements you missed – #39". BayBuzz. 18 July 2025.
- ^ Riddell, Jack (24 July 2025). "Māori wards crucial for fair representation, says Hawke's Bay group". Hawke's Bay Today.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Hawke's Bay elections: Two councillors to step down, mayors confirm bids". RNZ. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Mayor & Councillors". www.napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ a b Hall, Linda (20 May 2025). "Napier councillor Richard McGrath running for mayor, says city is prioritising 'nice-to-haves'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "2025 Triennial Elections | Napier City Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council. p. 14. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Hall, Linda (8 June 2025). "Napier councillor Nigel Simpson launches second bid to be mayor". Radio New Zealand.
- ^ a b c d "Napier's electoral wards". www.napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hall, Linda (5 August 2025). "Hawke's Bay elections guide: 114 candidates and some fierce competition ahead". Hawke's Bay Today. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (1 July 2025). "ACT Announces Iain Bradley As ACT Local Candidate For Napier". Scoop.
- ^ "The big issues: Hawke's Bay candidates put to the test". Hawke's Bay Today. The New Zealand Herald. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Franco, Ellie (9 August 2022). "Local Focus: Te Kira Lawrence on Candidate Camera". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Napier City Council. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ "Napier mayoral race: Richard McGrath ousts Kirsten Wise". RNZ. 12 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
