The Gisborne District Council administration building during the 2025 election campaign season. Photo / Zita Campbell
Almost half of Gisborne’s eligible voters took part in the local elections and the region’s 48.1% turnout was 8.7 percentage points above the national average.
The line-up of councillors remained the same after the official results were released on Saturday following the addition of special vote counts.
This means the region is welcoming four new elected members – general ward councillors Sam Gibson, Jeremy Muir and Alexandra Boros, and Māori ward councillor Anne Huriwai.
Returning councillors are Aubrey Ria, Rhonda Tibble, Rawinia Parata, Nick Tupara, Debbie Gregory, Colin Alder, Rob Telfer, Teddy Thompson and Larry Foster.
Alder was the top-voted general councillor at 2682 votes, 1476 more than his closest competitor, Rob Telfer, who received 1206.
Alder received 1043 more votes than when he campaigned for the role of councillor in 2022.
Ria’s 1163 votes in the Māori ward was 320 above her closest competitor, Rhonda Tibble, who received 843.
Like Alder, Ria also enjoyed an increase in support, receiving 561 more votes than she got in the 2022 election.
Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann congratulated Mayor Rehette Stoltz, who has been elected for her third term, and the new council team in a statement.
The council also acknowledged and thanked departing councillors Josh Wharehinga, Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, Tony Robinson, who resigned in February, and Andy Cranston – a councillor for 21 years.
“We are incredibly grateful to those who have given so much of themselves to this community,” Thatcher Swann said.
“Their dedication and contribution over the years have helped lay the foundation for the progress we continue to build on today.
“To everyone who put their name forward, whether elected or not, thank you ... standing for council takes courage and commitment.”
The region’s voter turnout was above the national average of 39.4% and surpassed the region’s voter turnout in 2022 of 43.4%.
However, it fell short of the voter turnout in 2019 of 50.1%.
Voter turnout in the general ward was 50.3%, while 43.8% voted in the Māori ward.
Additionally, the region had its say on whether it wanted Māori wards – 9904 voters supported retaining the wards and 5704 voted for their removal.
Thatcher Swann said the wards were introduced to strengthen Māori representation in local government.
“With around 54.8% Māori in Te Tairāwhiti, this decision shows our community’s commitment to inclusive and representative leadership.”
The final turnout number for the 2025 local elections nationwide showed an increase from provisional voter turnout results of 38.01% to 39.4% after the counting of special votes.
In a statement, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) interim chief executive Scott Necklen said it was clear voting habits were shifting and the system needed to change to accommodate this.
Necklen said more people had cast their ballots 10 days before election day, followed by a voting lull until election day itself, when almost 15% of all votes were cast.
In Gisborne, about 47% of voters voted in the 10 days leading up to election day, and about 20% of voters cast their votes on election day, including 2322 last-day votes in the general ward and 877 votes in the Māori ward.
Necklen said there was a significant volume of votes nationwide on election day and this was further evidence that providing convenient drop-off points made it easier for people to vote.
“It also helped that councils had more orange bins [over 1500] out in the community than ever before.
“The in-person orange bins are closer in format to the voting booth system that LGNZ has been championing. This was one of 20 recommendations made by the Electoral Reform Working Group (ERWG) in its Final Position paper in July to help increase voter turnout.”
Necklen said New Zealand could no longer continue with the postal voting model.
“Moving to consistent, in-person polling booth voting for local elections, with introducing a two-week timeframe to vote, would ensure the future integrity of our voting system by replicating how parliamentary elections are run,” he said.
Necklen said LGNZ had met with the Government to discuss the proposed changes, with a focus on implementing them in time for the 2028 election, which included the Electoral Commission running future local elections.
The newly elected Gisborne District councillors will be sworn in on Wednesday, October 30, at Lawson Field Theatre.