However, he surprised himself and probably many others with his tally of 5300 votes.
Ghimire says there are about 3500 "ethnic votes" in Palmerston North - former refugees, the Bhutanese community (400 votes), and the Indian community who he thought might support him. He was expecting about 3500 votes.
His final tally was a "good number" and he didn't expect to get that many, especially as one of his opponents was Jono Naylor, a former mayor and MP. Along with Naylor, Fiona Gordon, Rachel Keedwell, and Wiremu Te Awe Awe were all sitting members, "all very experienced and successful people".
The lowest-polling successful candidate was Te Awe Awe with 9606 votes.
Ghimire said the campaign was a life-changing experience - interesting, wonderful, fun, and he learned a lot from being in touch with different communities.
He discovered residents do not know much about Horizons except that their rates bills had gone up to $500.
He wants to make the next generation aware of what the regional council does and open the door for them.
During campaigning, he found residents who were either not enrolled or had not received their voting papers as they had not updated their addresses.
If he stands again in 2025 he plans to work with communities across the city to ensure residents are enrolled and their addresses are correct. During a general election, it is not such a problem if you haven't updated your address as voting is done in person, he says.
Ghimire is a taxi driver and says passengers give him a good insight into residents' frustrations. "Your feelings come out when you have a glass of wine."
Passengers can share a lot of frustrations in a 10-minute ride.
Ghimire would also like Horizons to subsidise taxi rides for more people than those covered by the Total Mobility Scheme. Providing subsidies to regular bus users to use taxis and ride shares would also help local businesses.
Ghimire is a Hindu and as such believes in protecting flora and fauna. He says he comes from a nature-loving culture and wants to play a small role in protecting New Zealand's nature and natural resources.
He would like councils to encourage people living near parks and streams to develop a sense of ownership and look after and protect the assets, for example by clearing branches and planting trees.
He was born in Bhutan and worked as a schoolteacher before being deported to Nepal, along with tens of thousands of Bhutanese with Nepali heritage.
He came to Palmerston North in 2008, part of the first intake of Bhutanese refugees.
His work with the Bhutanese and wider communities was recognised last year with a civic award from the city council.
Ghimire and his wife, Oma Luitel, have two children.
This is a Public Interest Journalism funded role through NZ On Air
