Ms Travers was always likely to get elected given that she was the current principal of Hastings Girls' High and could count on the school community for votes. Mr Barber, the Chair of Health Hawke's Bay, ran a very visible campaign with many billboards in Havelock North and Hastings.
Another new councillor, in the Heretaunga Ward, is Ann Redstone, a long-time resident of Clive and Haumoana.
In Napier three incumbent councillors - Mark Herbert, Mark Hamilton and Michelle Pyke - appear to have lost their seats, with official results yet to confirm this.
A new face on the council is coastal erosion campaigner Larry Dallimore, along with former Napier Girls' High School principal Claire Hague, former councillor Tania Wright, and Apiata Tapine - who is the first Maori city councillor in Napier.
Mr Herbert's defeat to Mr Dallimore means he vacates his council seat after 18 years.
As things stand Ms Pyke has also lost her seat, but there is a slim hope that the final results may see her slip past fellow incumbent Keith Price.
Ms Pyke, the second-highest polling candidate for the council three years ago, has provisionally come in at No 7 in the race for the six Councillor-At-Large positions on the Council, which has six other members from four localised wards.
Mr Tapine, who works as the regional learning co-ordinator at the EIT Maraenui Learning Centre, stood on the same ticket as third term councillor Maxine Boag for the Nelson Park ward. Ms Boag was also re-elected.
With the retirement of Central Hawke's Bay mayor Peter Butler, a new mayor was always going to be elected.
Waipukurau businesswoman Alex Walker stormed to victory with 3196 votes, ahead of fellow candidate Mrs Butler with 1475 and Gerard Pain, with 604 in the progress results so far.
In the CHB council elections four new faces were voted in the Aramoana-Ruahine ward, and two in the Ruahine ward.
With 98 per cent of the votes in, the councillors elected are incumbents Ian Sharp and Kelly Annand, along with newcomers Tim Chote, Gerard Minehan, Tim Aitken, David Tennent, Brent Muggeridge and Shelley Burne-Field.
Northern Hawke's Bay farmer Craig Little has been elected to a second term as Mayor of Wairoa in an expected result despite a strong challenge from departing three-term councillor Benita Cairns.
The third candidate, 85-year-old retired school teacher Roland Matley, had posted 84 votes.
All five councillors seeking re-election in the single district-wide poll of 14 candidates retained their seats, headed by deputy mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare, with 1889 votes. Charles Lambert claimed the vacant seat and sixth place on the poll of 14 candidates with a vote of 1165.
There were also big shocks in the Hawke's Bay Regional Council elections with many believing voters have given the new council an anti-dam mandate.
In Wairoa, the incumbent regional council chair Fenton Wilson seems to have clung to his seat, beating challenger Dean Whaanga by a slim margin.
Green Party member and anti-dam campaigner Paul Bailey was elected in the Napier ward, along with local government stalwart Alan Dick and former councillor Neil Kirton, who topped the vote count.
In a fierce contest, the three incumbent Hastings ward councillors, Rex Graham, Rick Barker and Tom Belford, have been re-elected. They defeated former Hastings deputy mayor Cynthia Bowers, who was expected to get in, and former councillor Tim Gilbertson.
Incumbent Ngaruroro ward councillor Peter Beaven has also retained his seat, defeating unknown Dan Ross.
In the regional council's Central Hawke's Bay ward, incumbent councillor Debbie Hewitt easily beat anti-dam campaigner Dan Elderkamp.
In the Tararua District mayoralty race, Eketahuna dairy farmer Tracey Collis has succeeded former Mayor Roly Ellis, who did not seek re-election.
Mrs Collis won with 2722 votes ahead of Allan Benbow on 1745, Ernie Christison on 748, Shirley Hull, 722 and Kay McKenzie 189.
There was just one change at Hawke's Bay District Health Board with IronMaori organiser Heather Skipworth losing her seat to chief executive of the U-Turn Trust Ana Apatu.
Outgoing Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Peter Butler also failed in his bid for the board.