Hawke’s Bay local elections: Final four seats go down to wire; less than 30 votes separate them

The eight council candidates in tight races for four remaining seats around Hawke's Bay. Photo / NZME

Four council seats across Hawke’s Bay remain hotly contested, with fewer than 30 votes separating the candidates vying for those final spots.

Only special votes are yet to be added to the final tally for the 2025 local elections, which will drop on Friday or late Thursday.

One council candidate who holds a slender lead says it is “an anxious wait”.

The final shape of the Hastings District Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, and Central Hawke’s Bay District Council won’t be confirmed until the special votes are counted, given the tight races which remain.

Special votes make up less than 2% of the votes for those councils.

Special votes include voters on the unpublished roll, voters overseas during the voting period, voters who had damaged voting papers posted to them, and those who had different addresses.

The four closest races in the region are:

• Hawke’s Bay Regional Council candidate Tony Kuklinski (2163 votes) is 12 votes ahead of Tim Aitken (2151 votes) – for the Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay constituency (ward) seat.
• Central Hawke’s Bay District Council candidate Kate Taylor (1464 votes) is 14 votes ahead of Simon Collin (1450 votes) – for the final Aramoana/Ruahine ward seat.
• Hastings District Council candidate Siiam Daniel (1143 votes) is 23 votes ahead of Sarah Greening (1120 votes) – for the final Takitimu Māori ward seat.
• Hastings District Council candidate Nick Ratcliffe (4415 votes) is 28 votes ahead of Rizwaana Latiff (4387 votes) – for the final Hastings/Havelock North ward seat.

Regional council candidate and oyster farmer Tim Aitken is involved in the closest race.

“I’m trying not to be [anxious] and going ‘it will be what it will be’ and not let it bother me,” he said, of the pending result.

He joked that the “ego will take a pounding” if he doesn’t get in, but he wished fellow candidate Kuklinski all the best if successful.

“If I get in, I will give it 100%,” the former Central Hawke’s Bay District councillor said.

Nick Ratcliffe (with microphone) was a Green Party candidate at the 2023 general election. Photo / Warren Buckland

Meanwhile, Hastings District Council candidate Nick Ratcliffe holds a slender lead for one of the last spots on that council.

He was two votes behind fellow candidate Rizwaana Latiff in the initial results (released on Saturday), but moved 28 votes ahead in the preliminary results released on Monday.

“It is of course an anxious time during the five days between progress results and final results, but only because the counts are so close.

“Rizwaana and I are friends, so I’m delighted that one of us will be on the new council, but the victory will be bittersweet whichever the outcome.”

What happens if the final vote is close?

Any candidate wanting to appeal an outcome – such as a close vote – has three business days to lodge an application with the District Court after the result.

A judge will decide whether to order a recount, although it is rare for that to happen based on a close vote.

If a vote happens to be tied, the electoral officer will refer that result to a district court judge to order a recount.

If it is still tied after a recount, then it comes down to choosing randomly with a coin toss or by drawing lots.