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 the regional council’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.

Di Roadley retained her place in the single seat Wairoa Regional Constituency with 924 votes.

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

Ahuriri/Napier regional constituency (three vacancies) votes received

KIRTON, Neil 9325

PARSONS, Louise 7984

ORMSBY, Hinewai 7267

BROWNE, Hayley 6809

BAILEY, Paul 4917

IQBAL, Syed Khurram 4049

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 (one vacancy) votes received

VAN BEEK, Jerf 3948

ORMOND, Marcus 2262

The voter return percentage was 46.29%, being 6564 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Tamatea/Central Hawke’s Bay regional constituency (one vacancy) votes received

KUKLINSKI, Tony 1845

AITKEN, Tim 1828

ROPIHA, Keri 699

The voter return percentage was 48.33%, being 4636 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Heretaunga/Hastings regional constituency (three vacancies) votes received

MACKINTOSH, Jock 8274

SIERS, Sophie 8154

WAITOA, Conrad 6380

MACKAY, Bruce 5724

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

Wairoa regional constituency (one vacancy) votes received

ROADLEY, Di 924

Māui ki te Raki Māori regional constituency (one vacancy) votes received

MCILROY (NEE LEWIS), Michelle 1455

WHITE, Shelton 822

The voter return percentage was 25.61%, being 1402 votes, excluding votes in transit to the processing centre and special votes.

Māui ki te Tonga Māori regional constituency (one vacancy)

Thompson HOKIANGA is elected unopposed.

Māori constituency poll 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.