Local elections 2025: Hawke’s Bay Regional Council restanding councillors keep their seats

Voters in the council’s Māori ward referendum chose to remove it.

All sitting Hawke’s Bay regional councillors who put themselves up for re-election have won back their seats, progress results suggest.

The endorsement of the leaders, who faced massive crises in their previous term, including Cyclone Gabrielle, is laid bare in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s election results for 2025 on Saturday.

Progress results do not include special votes or votes received this morning.

Preliminary results will be announced on Monday. They include votes received today, but special votes are still not included.

Current councillor Neil Kirton and chair Hinewai Ormsby were on Saturday in the box seat to be elected to the Ahuriri ward, while Jerf van Beek won the Ngāruroro ward. Jock Mackintosh and Sophie Siers were the top polling councillors in the Heretaunga ward and retain their seats as a result.

There will still be several fresh faces on council due to seats being vacated by Martin Williams, Xan Harding, Charles Lambert and new Central Hawke’s Bay mayor Will Foley.

Louise Parsons, who has been outspoken in her criticism over HBRC’s response to Cyclone Gabrielle, will now be sitting at the table contributing to decisions on it.

The race for the Tamatea-Central Hawke’s Bay seat vacated by Foley will go to the wire with Tony Kuklinski and Tim Aitken separated by 17 votes.

Voters in the council’s Māori ward referendum chose to remove it.

Ahuriri/Napier Regional Constituency (3 vacancies) Votes Received

KIRTON, Neil 9,325

PARSONS, Louise 7,984

ORMSBY, Hinewai 7,267

BROWNE, Hayley 6,809

BAILEY, Paul 4,917

IQBAL, Syed Khurram 4,049

The voter return percentage was 40.41%, being 16,698 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Ngāruroro Regional Constituency (1 vacancy) Votes Received

VAN BEEK, Jerf 3,948

ORMOND, Marcus 2,262

The voter return percentage was 46.29%, being 6,564 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay Regional Constituency (1 vacancy) Votes Received

KUKLINSKI, Tony 1,845

AITKEN, Tim 1,828

ROPIHA, Keri 699

The voter return percentage was 48.33%, being 4,636 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Heretaunga/Hastings Regional Constituency (3 vacancies) Votes Received

MACKINTOSH, Jock 8,274

SIERS, Sophie 8,154

WAITOA, Conrad 6,380

MACKAY, Bruce 5,724

The voter return percentage was 38.94%, being 13,623 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Māui ki te Raki Māori Regional Constituency (1 vacancy) Votes Received

MCILROY (NEE LEWIS), Michelle 1,455

WHITE, Shelton 822

The voter return percentage was 25.61%, being 1,402 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Māui ki te Tonga Māori Regional Constituency (1 vacancy)

Thompson HOKIANGA is elected unopposed.

Māori Constituency Poll (1 vacancy) Votes Received

REMOVE THE MĀORI CONSTITUENCIES 24,507

KEEP THE MĀORI CONSTITUENCIES 20,236

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