Wairoa election: Craig Little leading race to be mayor over his deputy

This would be Mayor Craig Little's fifth term in charge.

Progress results put Craig Little in the box seat for another term as mayor of Wairoa.

With just the special votes to count, Little (1300) leads his deputy mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare (965) by 335 votes.

This would be Little’s fifth term. He has led the region through the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle and the June 2024 floods and Covid.

From 5695 electors, 43.5% of the district had voted by Friday, with Saturday’s count still to be added.

In 2022, the small rural township had one of the highest voting rates in the country, on a par with this year’s, at 43.6%.

Wairoa is also the only council in Hawke’s Bay that is not a part of the nationwide Māori ward referendum.

The council in 2019 became the first in New Zealand with a specific Māori ward, as a result of a poll at the local elections three years earlier.

This means it has already conducted a referendum on its wards and therefore does not need to do so again.

Mayoral candidates

Denise Eaglesome-Karekare 965

Camden Gaskin 74

Craig Little 1300

Kurawari Panere 108

General Ward (three seats)

Sara Bird 564

Amber Forrest 451

Camden Gaskin 84

Jeremy Harker 985

Stuart Harris 212

Sam Jackman 412

John Malis 218

Roz Thomas 667

Veronica Tukaki 311

Maori Ward (three seats)

Benita Cairns 545

Puti Cook 141

Marino Harker-Smith 106

Katarina Kawana 317

Kurawari Panere 153

Michelle Tahuri 412

Ally Tipu 126

Trevor Waikawa 612

Esta Wainohu 307

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.