Whangārei District Council elections: Voters to call the shots for first time on how council elected

Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper (right) and councillor Matt Yovich take a quick break at Whangārei District Council's late-February meeting in the council chambers at Whāngarei's civic centre Te Iwitahi Photo / Susan Botting

Whangārei voters are welcoming their council’s first-time move to poll its people on what election system they want.

Whangārei District Council (WDC) voted at a February 24 meeting to hold a binding poll at the 2028 elections on whether its 67,000-plus electors want the Single Transferable Vote (STV) or First Past the Post (FPP) system.

WDC brought in STV for the first time in a generation for the 2025 elections.

The result of the new poll will apply to the 2031 and 2034 local elections.

Councillors favouring STV said the council would be flip‑flopping if it suddenly switched to FPP for 2028.

However, FPP supporters said it would simply be a correction, returning the council to the voting system it used since 2001.

Electoral officer Dale Ofsoske said the binding poll paper would ask electors to choose between: “I vote for the ‘First Past the Post’ electoral system” and “I vote for the ‘Single Transferable Vote’ electoral system”.

The move is being welcomed by some community leaders.

Ngātiwai chief executive Simon Mitchell said it was good electors were being asked for their views.

Poroti kaumātua Taipari Munroe also welcomed the move.

The WDC Te Huinga hapū collective member said the community should make sure to educate itself before polling.

Ōakura Reserve Board chair Glenn Ferguson said it was good news the council was going to poll the people.

Waipu Residents and Ratepayers Association chair Richard Cole supported a poll – but not until 2031.

“People need to have more time to get used to STV.”

The group’s meeting, held after the council decision, was predominantly in favour of FPP, though his personal preference was STV, Cole said.

STV will be used in 2028, despite a push from councillor Marie Olsen for councillors to decide on FPP for 2028 instead, with polling.

The first part of Olsen’s notice of motion that the council should go for FPP sparked polarised debate that ended in a 7–7 vote.

Whangārei councillor Marie Olsen pushed for the council to change to FPP voting for the 2028 local elections, but her bid failed after Mayor Ken Couper used his casting vote to retain STV for a second round. Photo / Susan Botting

The deadlock forced Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper to use his casting vote for the first time in his new role – in favour of keeping STV for 2028.

Pro-FPP councillor Simon Reid queried Couper’s right to do so and sought a legal opinion.

Councillors David Baldwin, Brad Flower, Steve “Tractor” Martin, Olsen, Reid, Matt Yovich and Paul Yovich voted to go to FPP for 2028.

Couper, Whangārei Deputy Mayor Scott McKenzie and councillors Tangiwai Baker, Nick Connop, Crichton Christie, Deb Harding and Phoenix Ruka voted against doing so.

After the meeting, Olsen said she was gutted FPP had not prevailed for 2028.

However, the councillors unanimously voted in favour of the second part of Olsen’s notice of motion, which sought a 2028 poll.

“That’s a huge requirement that we consult with our ratepayers. They’re the ones that put us in these positions and we need their opinion,” Olsen said.

Ngātiwai chief executive Simon Mitchell is pleased Whangārei electors will be polled at the next local elections on whether they want FPP or STV voting. Photo / Susan Botting

Pro-STV councillor Phoenix Ruka said the council debate was more about FPP versus STV.

He said if the issue had been purely about electors not having their say, the meeting would simply have debated whether to have a 2028 poll.

“The process really wasn’t the issue. It’s just there’s a group of people who don’t like the new voting system,” Ruka said.

Reid said people had said to him during the 2025 campaign: “Who brought that stupid idea in? We don’t want STV. We want to have the choice of that person for mayor, that person for council – that’s it.”

Pro‑STV councillor Deb Harding took issue with Reid’s representation, saying she did not appreciate being called stupid.

Couper told the meeting to take care with debate.

“We are not having a personal approach to it. We are discussing it in a manner in which we can all remain proud of the way we can behave on behalf of the community.”

Whangārei Heads councillor Tangiwai Baker voted in favour of STV voting for the council's 2028 local elections at February's council meeting. Photo / Susan Botting

Pro‑STV councillor Tangiwai Baker said the last council decided to set it for 2025 and 2028, and it would feel like flip‑flopping to change that.

Pro-FPP Act local councillor Matt Yovich said there had been a significant push from ratepayer groups to change back to FPP.

“I see this as a correction back to FPP to maintain consistency until we’ve had our poll,” Yovich said.

Baldwin, who is a pro‑FPP councillor, said STV rather than FPP had made no difference to who was elected in 2025 – except perhaps in the Whangārei Urban General Ward, where 17 candidates contested five seats.

Using his casting vote, Couper said councillors had heard two sides of the argument.

“There are people who feel the public quite clearly want the change back to first past the post. We have heard others say actually the people they’ve spoken to feel that STV is good,” Couper said.

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