Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell pictured at the Rotorua Business Awards after being re-elected to lead the city for another term in the top job. Photo / Alan Gibson
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell pictured at the Rotorua Business Awards after being re-elected to lead the city for another term in the top job. Photo / Alan Gibson
The 2025 Rotorua Lakes Council election confirmed Mayor Tania Tapsell’s strength.
Voter turnout was 43%, reflecting a national decline.
The Māori Ward was retained with 52% support.
The 2025 Rotorua Lakes Council election confirmed Mayor Tania Tapsell’s political strength while exposing persistent challenges to local democracy.
Voter turnout was 43%, continuing a national decline that signals growing disengagement and a democratic deficit.
In my view, many citizens appear sceptical that their participation meaningfully influences local decisions.
Tapsell’semphatic re-election, reinforced by the return of several experienced councillors, suggests that most voters sought continuity and stability.
After three turbulent years marked by rates increases well above inflation, growing debt, governance disputes, and controversial projects, her message of fiscal restraint and practical leadership resonated strongly.
For the mayor, this decisive mandate provides an opportunity to consolidate unity within the council and strengthen governance discipline.
Deputy mayor Sandra Kai Fong. Photo / Laura Smith
Delivering on promises of financial reform, prioritising core services, and restoring public confidence will now be crucial.
Rotorua Lakes Councillor Fisher Wang at a June 2025 meeting. Photo / Laura Smith
In the Rural Ward, Karen Barker’s unopposed return demonstrated strong community confidence in her leadership. Together, these councillors form a capable and pragmatic team aligned with the mayor’s focus on fiscal discipline and operational efficiency.
The Māori Ward referendum was one of the election’s most closely observed contests. Voters chose to retain the Māori Ward by 52% to 39%, with 9% of ballots left blank.
The result confirms moderate support for dedicated Māori representation but highlights its fragile legitimacy and ongoing public division.
The election of Temara-Benfell and Raukawa-Tait, both affiliated with Te Pāti Māori, marks a generational and ideological shift.
Their success presents opportunities for stronger Māori advocacy, but also the responsibility to demonstrate that such representation can unify rather than polarise the community.
Robert Lee breached the Local Electoral Act 2001 by using a council-funded animation in a campaign video. Although the video was withdrawn, in my view the case exposed weaknesses in enforcement and candidate guidance.
Meanwhile, Te Tatau o Te Arawa, the council-funded iwi partnership board, was cautioned for offering shopping vouchers to “voting warriors” who collected or delivered ballot papers.
Although these incidents were isolated, they contributed to unease about fairness and impartiality.
Restoring confidence will require consistent enforcement of electoral rules, clear guidance for candidates and organisations, and higher standards of integrity across all participants.
Rotorua’s experience mirrors a wider national pattern described by commentators Chris Trotter and Bryce Edwards as a “crisis of legitimacy in local democracy.”
Many citizens are not indifferent but alienated — disillusioned by opaque decision-making, bureaucratic dominance, and limited public influence. Consultation is often perceived as symbolic rather than substantive.
In Rotorua, this disconnection has been intensified by sharp rates increases, rising debt, and continuing debate over representation structures.
The decision to retain the Māori Ward reinforces the need to review Te Tatau o Te Arawa’s role and funding — currently $372,500 annually with an additional $40,000 every third year for its internal elections.
A review should clarify responsibilities, ensure accountability, avoid duplication with Māori Ward functions, and prioritise limited funds for essential community services.
Reynold Macpherson. Photo / Andrew Warner
The Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers Executive has proposed a five-point reform agenda to rebuild trust and fiscal credibility beyond 2026.
First, democratic accountability must be strengthened. Decision-making should remain firmly centred on elected representatives. Key reports should be publicly accessible, and the reasons for confidential sessions clearly recorded to uphold transparency.
Second, Māori representation should be rationalised. With Māori Ward councillors now elected, policy advice should primarily flow through them, supported by professional staff, rather than via parallel advisory structures. This would clarify representation and align it with electoral mandates.
Third, fiscal discipline must be restored. The council could introduce a rates cap linked to inflation, restrict capital spending to essential infrastructure, suspend discretionary projects, and accelerate debt repayment. Transparent progress reporting and citizen oversight panels would further strengthen accountability.
Fourth, public trust should be rebuilt through genuine dialogue. One-way consultation could be replaced with deliberative forums, youth assemblies, and civic education partnerships to promote shared understanding. A Civic Integrity Charter for elected members and senior staff could reinforce ethical culture and accountability.
Finally, electoral administration should be modernised. If responsibility for local elections transfers to the Electoral Commission, reforms must include stronger enforcement of campaign rules while maintaining local relevance and engagement. National consistency should not come at the expense of community participation.
From a ratepayer’s perspective, the 2025 election provided both reassurance and warning. The re-election of experienced leaders such as Tapsell, Kai Fong, Brown, and Barker offers continuity and competence.
Yet modest turnout, breaches of electoral law, and, in my view, persistent doubts about council transparency indicate that public confidence remains fragile.
Rotorua’s future governance will depend on openness, prudent financial management, and genuine accountability.
Rebuilding legitimacy will require sustained effort from all elected members.
They must not only lead effectively but also listen carefully, explain decisions clearly, and involve the community meaningfully in shaping Rotorua’s direction.
Only through such partnership can democracy in Rotorua regain strength and thrive once more.
*The author has provided the Rotorua Daily Post with a Rotorua Lakes Council response to his official information request about election campaign-related complaints. It shows the council received 10 complaints during the election. Seven of these complaints related to signage or advertising, including one about the author. The candidate displayed an election sign attached to a tree in the Hamurana Reserve which was not permitted, as stated in the Rotorua Lakes Council Election Signs Guidelines. The candidate was contacted and asked to remove the sign.
Dr Macpherson has chaired the Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers from 2014.
