Only two of Horizons Regional Council's sitting councillors are not standing for re-election, while eleven newcomers want in.
Nominations for the council finished at noon on Friday.
The current situation leaves one Horizons constituency with no election contest. Current chairman Bruce Gordon and councillor Gordon McKellar are elected unopposed for the two seats in Manawatu-Rangitikei.
In the Whanganui Constituency Jeremy Austin, Nicola Patrick and Allan Wrigglesworth, and sitting councillor David Cotton, are four people going for two seats.
The Horowhenua-Kairanga Constituency is even more contested, with new candidates Geoff Kane, Sam Ferguson and Christine Moriarty competing with the two sitting councillors, Lindsay Burnell and Colleen Sheldon, for two seats.
Ruapehu gets just one seat. Candidate John Chapman will be head to head there with sitting councillor Bruce Rollinson.
There are two things Mr Rollinson wants to see through in his second term - the pest management strategy and a review of One Plan rules.
In the largest constituency, Palmerston North, longstanding councillor and former chairman Murray Guy is not standing again. He's had nine years on the council, the last six as chairman of its catchment operations committee.
He was comfortable with what was has been achieved during his time - with several flood protection schemes complete or near complete. Council aspirations for road transport efficiency have been met by Government announcements made on Friday, he said.
Mr Guy has business interests in forestry and property development to pursue, and continues to be available as a hearings commissioner.
So vying for Palmerston North's four seats are six people. They are sitting councillors Rachel Keedwell, Pat Kelly and Paul Rieger, and aspiring candidates Wiremu Te Awe Awe, Ralph Pugmire and Amey Bell-Booth.
Like Ruapehu, the Tararua District has just one seat. John Barrow is the sitting councillor.
He will be competing with Lorraine Stephenson and Andrew Day. Mr Day is a Pahiatua farmer who says the way Horizons has implemented its One Plan is unfair and won't improve water quality. Mr Day wants fairer and more legally robust implementation.