Updated: Craig Little has been elected Mayor of Wairoa.
Mr Little, a farmer, won a 4-man race, including runner-up and former Mayor Derek Fox and incumbent Les Probert.
On preliminary votes, Mr Little's 1632 in the smallest Hawke's Bay constituency gave him an election-day majority of 743 over Mr Fox's 889.
Mr Probert, awho at the age of 79 made a late-decision to seek anoither term, polled 328 votes.
Newly-elected Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said that with Central Hawke's Bay having returned Mayor Peter Butler with an increased majority, 3 of the 4 Mayors in Hawke's Bay oppose local Government amalgamation.
Wairoa's district-wide Council of 6 includes 3 new members in Chris Joblin, Mike Bird and Hine Flood, with incumbents Denys Caves and Dave Evans both defeated, a result unlikely to change in the counting of sopecial votes.
Wairoa District Council
Mayoralty (1 vacancy)
LITTLE, Craig 1632
FOX, Derek Tinia 889
PROBERT, Les 328