Rotorua’s Trevor Maxwell looks to have booked himself another three years in local government. Video / Alan Gibson
Rotorua has re-elected Tania Tapsell as mayor in a landslide, according to progress results.
Tapsell saw off competition from Don Paterson, Robert Lee, Haehaetu Barrett and Takeina Fraser to retain her position.
Speaking to Local Democracy Reporting, Tapsell said she is “incredibly humbled” for the support from the cityand is looking forward to “continuing to lead” Rotorua.
“I’m ambitious and energised for the next three years and look forward to building a strong and high-performing new council,” she said.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell pictured this evening at the Rotorua Business Awards after being re-elected today to lead the city for another term in the top job. Photo / Alan Gibson
While subject to change, progress results have Tapsell holding a giant lead over her two nearest candidates, councillors Don Paterson in second and Robert Lee in third.
Paterson congratulated Tapsell on her win, saying she had some “bright policies” he looks forward to seeing “come to fruition”.
Paterson has been re-elected to the council and said he is looking forward to working with Tapsell again.
Lee also offered congratulations to Tapsell: “Democracy has spoken and good on you,” he said.
Tapsell has been a Rotorua councillor on three occasions and was first elected mayor in 2022.
Her campaign saw her seek re-election based on “unfinished business” from her first term, including the reopening of the Rotorua Museum and delivery of core services.
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell celebrates after being re-elected for a second term today. Photo / Facebook
Tapsell confirmed that Sandra Kai Fong will return as deputy mayor, following her re-election to the general ward.
“Together we gave the previous term our all, I’m so proud of the progress we achieved for this great place we call home.”
Council seats
Paterson and Kai Fong will be joined on Rotorua’s council by new faces Ben Sandford and Te-Rika Temara Benfell.
Initial results place Sandford, a former winter Olympian, third in the voting for Rotorua’s general ward,
He will be joined by returning councillors Fisher Wang, Gregg Brown, Paterson and Lee from the general ward, although it is close between Lee and Conan O’Brien for the sixth seat.
In the Māori ward, Temara Benfell has come out on top in the early tally for the three seats.
Trevor Maxwell is in second and set to crack a half-century as a councillor, setting an outright New Zealand record for his service.
New Zealand’s longest-serving councillor, Rotorua’s Trevor Maxwell, looks to have booked himself another three years in local government. Photo / Alan Gibson
Maxwell, who is in his late 70s, will have 51 years of service by the end of his term.
“I’m quite proud and very, very honoured,” he told the Rotorua Daily Post at the playground near his Ohinemutu home this afternoon.
The councillor posed for photographs on a swing.
He said he was also pleased that Rotorua had voted to keep Māori wards.
“That is also a wonderful thing for us here, because it could easily have gone the other way.”
The third Māori ward seat is currently going to former Rotorua Lakes councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, but her narrow lead over sitting councillor Rawiri Waru could easily change in the final wash-up.
Karen Barker was elected unopposed to the rural ward.
Newcomers Raj Kumar and Anna Grayling will be the Rotorua Constituency councillors on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, ousting long-serving councillor Lyall Thurston.
Allan Iwi Te Whau is set to be the new Ōkūrei Māori constituency councillor, meaning Te Taru White loses his seat.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Rotorua constituency
Raj Kumar
Anna Grayling
Bay of Plenty Regional Council - Ōkūrei Māori constituency
Allan Iwi Te Whau
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.
