Hawke's Bay Power Consumers Trust election: Re-elected trustees dominate power vote in low poll

Diana Kirton, re-elected to serve-out second three-term Hawke's Bay Power Consumers Trust trust election cycle. Photo / Supplied

The only two people seeking re-election to the Hawke's Bay Power Consumers Trust have dominated the triennial elections which were completed last week.

Chairwoman Diana Kirton and former Napier mayor Barbara Arnott each clocked-up over 3000 votes more than highest-polling newcomer and EIT School of Health and Sports Science assistant head Kirsten Westwood.

The other two successful hopefuls in a 12-candidate postal and online election were accountant and former EIT chairman David Pearson and former Scanpower and Centralines chief executive Jeff Farnworth.

Of the former trustees Kevin Atkinson did not seek re-election and Ken Gilligan and Helen Francis had to retire having completed three three-year terms.

Kirton, likely to again seek the chair at the new trust's first meeting next Monday, served three terms (nine years) starting in 2002, and sat out three years before being elected again in 2014.

Voting in an eventless election up against the general election and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, was a low 12,796 (20.1 per cent of the roll).

That was down a third from the 2017 poll, where the election profile had been raised by issues about the key function of the trust – deciding the distribution of the consumer dividend.

Kirton was disappointed with the low polling, saying the trust may have to look at changing the election cycle to years not clashing with general or local elections.

Result:

Elected: (*) Diana KIRTON 9317 votes, (*) Barbara ARNOTT 6989, Kirsten WESTWOOD 5595, David PEARSON 4975, Jeff FARNWORTH 4621.

Unsuccessful: Jacqueline Taylor 4577, Mike Devonshire 4342, Ken Foote 3953, Tom Belford 3775, Giles Pearson 3514, Peter Holley 2122, Stephen Brown 1799.