New CHB Aramoana-Ruahine rural ward councillor Tim Aitken says he is "quite stoked" that he has been elected to the rural Aramoana-Ruahine ward of the CHB District Council.

The highest polling candidate for this ward, he was this afternoon holding a horse for his daughter Willa Aitken who is trialling for some upcoming dressage championships while reflecting on the result.

With 10 people standing in the ward, however, he said he had not been making any predictions in the lead-up to voting day.

"You just do your thing and hope for the best."

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He is one of four new faces on the rural ward, collecting 1,515 votes as of the preliminary count, ahead of the other successful candidates - David Tennent, 1,204, Brent Muggeridge, 1,202 and Shelley Burne-Field, 979.

"I think it sends a reasonably strong mandate to the council that the community wanted change in how the council is run and hopefully we can do that with what looks like a good group of councillors."

He said he was happy that Alex Walker was elected mayor, injecting some "new blood" into the council chamber.