Recount looms after Te Hiku vote ends on knife-edge

Young Kaitaia businessman Hazely Windelborn says he will almost certainly request a recount after the final vote count left him just 10 votes from a seat at the council table. Photo / supplied

A Kaitaia candidate in the local government elections says he is almost certain to request a recount after special votes left him just 10 votes shy of a seat at the council table.

Hazely Windelborn, a 36-year-old business owner and real estate agent, was one of 15 candidates to contest the three Te Hiku seats on the Far North District Council.

In the preliminary results released early last week Windelborn finished 33 votes behind the third-highest polling candidate, Kaitaia publican and fishing contest organiser David Collard.

However, when the final results were published on Friday evening, Collard had leapfrogged returning fourth-term councillor Mate Radich into second place, and Windelborn was just 10 votes behind Radich.

That means he would only need to pick up 11 more votes to take Radich's seat at the council table.

Windelborn told the Advocate he was ''almost certain'' to seek a recount.

He did not expect to overturn the result but wanted to highlight the importance of voting, especially to his generation.

Windelborn, who is of Ngāti Kahu descent, said many colleagues and people of his age hadn't voted, but the results in Te Hiku showed even a handful of votes could make a difference.

He also believed it was important that Te Hiku's representatives attended as many meetings as possible to ensure their voices were heard.

A council report earlier this year found Radich had attended 39 per cent of meetings and workshops from November to February.

The final vote in the Te Hiku ward has Felicity Foy far ahead with 2644 votes, Collard on 1876 votes and Radich on 1870.

Windelborn, the highest-polling unsuccessful candidate, has 1860.

Special votes have secured the council seat of Kaitaia publican David Collard — seen here with Far North Mayor John Carter and wife Leoni on election day — but another member for Te Hiku, Mate Radich, is now only 10 votes ahead of this nearest rival. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Any candidate can request a recount via the District Court as long as they apply within three days of the official results and pay a fee.

Other results in the Far North District Council election were unchanged by special votes, though third term mayor John Carter's winning margin over closest rival and former deputy Tania McInnes increased slightly from 1912 to 1928. His total vote now stands at 5831.

In the Kaikohe-Hokianga Ward, Northland's youngest councillor, Moko Tepania, 28, was last week only 81 votes ahead of long-time councillor Sally Macauley, but special votes extended his lead to a comfortable 113 votes.

The final vote count also confirms that Mike Edmonds will take one of three Kaikohe seats on the Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Board. He replaces Tepania, who won seats on the council and community board but can't do both.