New Zealand’s longest-serving councillor Trevor Maxwell seeks one more term in Rotorua

New Zealand’s longest-serving councillor, Rotorua’s Trevor Maxwell, will seek re-election in October’s election – but has confirmed it will be his final term.

Seven of his Rotorua Lakes Council colleagues have so far also confirmed they will stand, with a former reality television contestant and a ratepayers’ group leader also in the running.

Maxwell (Ngāti Rangiwewehi) is in his late 70s and has been an elected councillor for 48 years.

He was most recently voted on to the newly formed Māori ward in 2022.

The subsequent three-year term put him level with Doug Truman, who served on Grey District Council from 1968 to 2016, for the national record.

Asked about plans to take the record outright after the 2025 election, he had a simple statement: “One more term.”

Rotorua councillor Trevor Maxwell. Photo / Andrew Warner

First elected as a councillor in 1977, Maxwell also served 11 years as Rotorua Deputy Mayor and fell just short of the mayoralty in 2004.

Maxwell said he has “thoroughly enjoyed” his time on Rotorua Lakes Council and would like one final term serving the Māori ward before stepping away.

Rawiri Waru will also seek re-election to the Māori ward, while Maxwell’s niece Lani Kereopa previously announced she would not.

General ward councillors Conan O’Brien, Robert Lee, Don Paterson and Fisher Wang indicated they would seek to keep their seats, as would Karen Barker in the Rural ward.

Lee would challenge Mayor Tania Tapsell for the top job.

Councillor Robert Lee is running for Rotorua Mayor in October. Photo / Laura Smith

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell is standing again. Photo / Laura Smith

Councillor Gregg Brown was not seeking re-election to the general ward. Deputy Mayor Sandra Kai Fong did not respond to requests to confirm her stance.

Meanwhile, the first two community challengers have confirmed their candidacies for the general ward.

Mariana Morrison is the granddaughter of late Rotorua great Sir Howard Morrison and was also a contestant on the 2017 edition of The Bachelor NZ.

Reynold Macpherson, chairman of Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers, is a former councillor and mayoral contender.

MacPherson was voted on to the council in 2019 and served one term, in which he locked horns with then Mayor Steve Chadwick. In 2022, he was removed from two council committees after failing to apologise for code-of-conduct breaches.

He lost his seat after falling short in a 2022 bid for mayor, with Tapsell taking the top job.

MacPherson also stood for the mayoralty unsuccessfully in 2013, 2016 and 2019, but said he was just seeking a councillor seat in 2025.

Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers' Association chairman Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Andrew Warner

Macpherson told Local Democracy Reporting he was largely supportive of the current mayor. He believed the current council had “changed” compared with three years ago.

“Rotorua has great potential,” he said. “Let’s build a better council, one that listens respectfully, debates thoughtfully and acts decisively, with integrity, not political theatre.”

Macpherson said his priorities would be focusing on the council’s core responsibilities, capping rates and cutting waste.

Morrison is standing for the council for the first time.

She has a background in the military, corrections and health.

Mariana Morrison. Photo / Andrew Warner

In 2022, she spearheaded a first-of-its-kind kaupapa Māori strategy in aged care at Rotorua’s Cantabria Lifecare and Village.

“I want to bring strategic leadership to the Rotorua community from a ground-up approach,” Morrison said.

“There are gaps in our socioeconomic system that are impacting the governance of our council. I think there’s room for more leadership centred on a whānau-centric voice – more community leaders, as opposed to purely operational.”

Candidate nominations close on August 1, with confirmed candidates to be announced by August 6.

Voting runs from September 9 to October 11.

Councillors running in 2025

Local Democracy Reporting asked the mayor and councillors who would seek re-election.

Mayor Tania Tapsell – Yes

Robert Lee – Yes (and for mayor)

Karen Barker – Yes

Don Paterson – Yes

Fisher Wang – Yes

Trevor Maxwell – Yes

Conan O’Brien – Yes

Rawiri Waru – Yes

Lani Kereopa – No

Gregg Brown – No

Sandra Kai Fong – No response

Mathew Nash is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. He has previously written for SunLive, been a regular contributor to RNZ and was a football reporter in the UK for eight years.

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