Election 2019: Rotorua's first mayoral candidates revealed

The battle for the mayoralty has begun. Photo / File

More than half of Rotorua's 2016 mayoral candidates, including the incumbent mayor, have signalled they will run in this year's local elections.

Mayor Steve Chadwick, Frances Louis and RangiMarie Kingi-Bosma have all confirmed they will contest the mayoralty this year, while John Rakei-Clark was "seriously considering it".

Of the other 2016 contenders, Rob Kent said he hadn't decided and Mark Gould said he would run for council but hadn't decided if he would run for mayor.

The Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers Association, represented by Reynold Macpherson last election, will soon begin a formal process of endorsing candidates to represent them in the October election.

Association chairwoman Glenys Searancke said the association would likely have candidates by March.

"We go through a formal process whereby all of our members get to vote as to who they would like to stand.

"We choose the number first, whether we put forward four candidates, or five or six. It's a very democratic process."

Searancke said a few people had expressed interest in representing the association already.

The Rotorua Residents and Ratepayers Association has about 1100 members or associates and all get a chance to vote on who will represent them.

Searancke said, in her opinion, some of the election issues would be debt, the number of projects on the table at once, and whether treated wastewater should be discharged into the lake.

"I think there will be a lot of debate on that and the Lakefront. I know the Lakefront is going ahead but I think it could become an election issue."

In 2016 the association was represented by Reynold Macpherson in the mayoral race and Rosemary MacKenzie, Shelly Riach Fischer, John Dyer and Raj Kumar in the councillor race.

Mayor Steve Chadwick will contest the mayoralty in 2019. Photo / File

Chadwick this week told the Rotorua Daily Post she would be running for the mayoralty and would launch a campaign in March.

Details of her campaign and other election initiatives will be announced then.

"Clearly we're on a roll. The success has carried on and I want to lead the consolidation of these big moves: the museum, the forest, Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre and the Lakefront."

Chadwick became mayor in 2013 when she secured 11,630 votes, almost 60 per cent of the overall count.

She kept her mayoralty in 2016 when she received 8990 votes.

Rob Kent hasn't yet decided if he will run for mayor in 2019.

Gould said, while undecided whether he'd vie for the top position this year, he thought the 2019 election issues would be around the museum and Lakefront.

Mark Gould says he will definitely stand for council but is undecided on if he will run for mayor.

John Rakei-Clark said there were a lot of things he was unhappy with so, "there's a very good chance I'm going to run".

"We have lost so much headway for Rotorua. The residents are suffering, all the residents, all the ratepayers so I'm thinking I might."

The 2016 mayoral candidate John Rakei-Clark will again stand in 2019. Photo / File

Frances Merenia Louis told the Rotorua Daily Post she would "definitely be standing again".

RangiMarie Kingi-Bosma said she would run for both the Tauranga and Rotorua mayoralty.

RangiMarie Kingi-Bosma will be running in both Rotorua and Tauranga's mayoralty races. Photo / Supplied

Last October, one year out from the election, five of the current councillors said they would run again, four were undecided and one did not comment.

Newcomers Kaya Sparke, 22, and Ryan Gray, 31, said at the time they were considering running.

Frances Merenia Louis plans to stand for mayor this year. Photo / File

Mayoral vote results 2016
CHADWICK, Stephanie (Steve) 8990
MACPHERSON, Reynold (Rotorua District Residents and Ratepayers) 6127
KENT, Rob (Independent) 3328
GOULD, Mark 1763
KINGI, Rangi Marie (Independent) 412
RAKEI-CLARK, John (Independent) 256
LOUIS, Frances (Te Ropu Awangawanga - Concern) 135
INFORMAL 62
BLANK VOTING PAPERS 470
The voter return was 45.99 per cent

Key dates
July 1: Electoral Commission enrolment campaign starts.
July 19: Nominations open for candidates.
August 16: Nominations close at 12pm and rolls close.
August 21: Candidates' names publicised.
September 20-25: Voting documents delivered to households.
October 12: Polling day — voting documents must be at the council before voting closes at 12pm. Preliminary results released.
October 17-23: Official results declared as soon as practicable.