Two candidates appear to have had landslide victories in separate Hastings District Council byelections for which voting closed at midday Friday.
Sweeping into office are Hana Montaperto-Hendry and Heather Te Au-Skipworth, according to preliminary results.
Montaperto-Hendry was one of seven candidates seeking the Heretaunga general seat which became vacant in March when third-term councillor Ann Redstone resigned because of illness. Te Au-Skipworth replaces Renata Nepe, who was less than 18 months into a term as the council’s first Maori ward councillor when he announced his resignation because of a new career opportunity.
The results are based on the counting of about 90 per cent of the returned votes and do not include special votes or votes returned today but still in transit to the processing centre.
Montaperto-Hendry had received 55.21 per cent of the 2063 votes counted in the Heretaunga ward and had a majority of 760 over second-placed Brendan Grant, while Te Au-Skipworth had 68.6 per cent of the 1330 votes recorded in Takitimu, with a 655-vote majority over second-placed Jason Whaitiri.
Preliminary results:
Heretaunga general ward (one vacancy)
MONTAPERTO-HENDRY, Hana 1139
GRANT, Brendan 379
DOWNER, Geoff 166
PETROWSKI, Melanie Lorraine 149
CHADWICK, Tāwhana 118
BREWER, Shona Independent 81
GREENING-SMITH, Sarah 21
INFORMAL 7
BLANK 3
Voter return 26.9 per cent, being 2063 votes.
Takitimu Māori ward (one vacancy)
TE AU-SKIPWORTH, Heather 913
WHAITIRI, Jason Independent 258
NGAHUKA, Michael 151
INFORMAL 6
BLANK 2
Voter return 14.9 per cent, being 1330 votes.