Five new faces on regional council

Environment Bay of Plenty has two new high-profile councillors and three people filling dedicated Maori seats. New faces Phillip Sherry and Andrew von Dadelszen can probably thank their high public profiles for their election to Environment Bay of Plenty's Tauranga constituency, replacing Elinor Elder, who decided not to stand for re-election, and Karen Summerhays who was outvoted.
Top poller John Cronin, current chairman, is obviously perceived to be a fair and competent leader after being re-elected to the Tauranga constituency with a large majority, notching up 17,380 votes.
Mr Sherry - known to several generations as a former television news reader and more lately as a North Shore City and Auckland regional councillor - polled second highest with 14,707 votes, with Tauranga sharebroker Andrew von Dadelszen third on 12,475 votes.
Athole Herbert, a strong advocate for Maori constituency seats on the regional council, pipped former Tauranga District Council chief executive Paula Thompson to the fourth and last position.
Mr Herbert, a two-term regional councillor and former Port of Tauranga company secretary, polled fourth on 11,571. Mrs Thompson was 140 behind on 11,431.
Mr Sherry, who recently moved to Papamoa, said he was "absolutely delighted" at being elected. After his TV career ended 12 years ago, he became a North Shore city councillor, then an Auckland regional councillor.
"During those years I met and spent time with many people involved in local government throughout the Bay."
He is a Justice of the Peace and marriage celebrant and moved to Papamoa last year to be closer to his daughter and two grandchildren, as well as friends who had made the move to the Bay.
Mr Sherry was a radio reporter and newsreader before television was introduced into New Zealand in the early 1960s, at which time he joined the Town and Around metropolitan news service.
Mr von Dadelszen has described himself as an environmentalist with a diverse business background. He is the National Party's convener of the environmental group BlueGreens.
He is committed to the protection of marine and coastal environments and that commitment has led him to being director and honorary treasurer of the London-based environmental organisation, Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea.
In the Western Bay constituency there were no surprises with Ian Noble (4429 votes) and Jim Pringle (3655 votes) retaining their seats and holding off challenges from native plant grower Mark Dean (3446 votes) and former Western Bay mayor Michael Pittar (2451). Three other hopefuls for the seats were veteran campaigner John Neill, David May and Kevin Heys.
For the Mauao constituency Raewyn Bennett's 654 votes held off challenges from Alf McCausland, Anthony Paraire and Rim D Paul. Mrs Bennett will be the sole female on the council.
Environmentalist Karen Summerhays was ousted after just one term while Elinor Elder, whose involvement in local body politics goes back about 20 years, decided not to stand for re-election this year.
The only other woman candidate was Ms Thompson.
Successful Rotorua general constituency candidates were incumbents William Cleghorn (9377) and Robin Ford (7514) with newcomer Neil Oppatt on 8587.
The Kohi Maori (Eastern Bay) seat was won by Tipene Marr with 515 votes and the Okurei Maori constituency (Rotorua) by Tai Eru, 1681 votes.
The incumbents in Eastern Bay general constituency, Bryan Riesterer and Malcolm Whitaker were re-elected unopposed.