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
WHATI, Te Hira
(Wairoa People) 157
INFORMAL 5
BLANK 39
Wairoa District
Council - ELECTING 6
COUNCILLORS
LITTLE, Craig 1857
JOBLIN, Chris 1768
BIRD, Mike Team
Wairoa 1733
EAGLESOME-
KAREKARE, Denise 1720
JOHANSEN, Min 1455
CAIRNS, Benita Team
Wairoa 1313
FLOOD, Hine Beth
Team Wairoa 1143
CAVES, Denys
Independent 983
EVANS, Dave 865
HERON, Jim 837
WHAANGA, Dean
Tamaku Independent 794
KAIMOANA,
Margaret 644
MCINTYRE, Gordon
469
THURSTON, Kelly
Independent 158
INFORMAL 215
BLANK 216