"I'm looking forward to working with Eileen. She has lead a good campaign."
Lawson has already been out talking to the business and wider community and has great feedback which she will be able to bring back to council, Hazlehurst said.
"That's what we want from our councillors."
The byelection was triggered by the election of former ward councillor and deputy mayor Sandra Hazlehurst as mayor in November last year, leaving a gap to fill in the Hastings/Havelock North ward, allocated eight representatives.
Voters have been busy with byelections over the last year with former mayor Lawrence Yule deciding to run for the position of National's Tukituki MP in the general election, and former Hastings/Havelock North ward councillor Adrienne Pierce standing for National's Palmerston North electorate.
Leaving two seats open, a byelection in November last year saw Wendy Schollum fill Pierce's seat, and Hazlehurst's election as mayor created another vacancy in the ward.
Voter turnout for the November mayoral and councillor byelection started slow with 28 per cent of eligible voters sending there returns up until the last few days before the election closed but it ended at a turnout of 38.7 per cent.
A council spokesperson previously said the combined cost of the mayoral and councillor by-election process in November was $130,869.
It was estimated the cost of this recent councillor byelection would be about $89,000.
