Local body elections: Two new faces on Whanganui District Council, incumbents re-elected

Whanganui mayor Hamish McDouall, right, said it was exciting to have new councillors in James Barron, left, and Brent Crossan (not pictured). Photo / Lewis Gardner

Whanganui has elected a status quo district council.

All 10 incumbents in the running have been re-elected with just two new councillors, Brent Crossan and James Barron, joining them, according to provisional election results.

Mayor Hamish McDouall had already been elected unopposed.

Josh Chandulal-Mackay has the topped the provisional results with 9014 votes ahead of last election's top polling councillor Hadleigh Reid who got 8623 this time around.

Jenny Duncan (8227), Helen Craig (8210), Kate Joblin (7551), Charlie Anderson (7325), Rob Vinsen (6899), Philippa Baker-Hogan (5834), Alan Taylor (5584), Crossan (5147), Barron (4641) and Graeme Young (4475) were the others elected.

Two councillors - David Bennett and Murray Cleveland - did not seek re-election.

McDouall said it was exciting to have Barron and Crossan on board.

"Brent's got a whole of practical experience as has James," he said.

"James has been a great community advocate for Castlecliff and to be able to plug that expertise into the whole district is exciting."

However, the mayor did say he would have liked to see more diversity at the table.

"I would have liked to have a genuine Iwi voice around the table and gender balance is important to me as well," McDouall said.

"I really feel for the thirteenth candidate Dani Lebo, I think she would have made an excellent councillor."

McDouall will be meeting with the councillors individually over the next few weeks and deciding on committee structures.

Whanganui District Council.

One of the two new councillors, James Barron, said it was refreshing to know that he did not have to be born in Whanganui for the locals to vote him in.

"I've enjoyed the challenge. I love doing new stuff. A political campaign is definitely new. I've never done that and never thought of doing that. I must have gone mad," he said.

"We've recently come to Whanganui, we're not Whanganui born and bred. I chose Whanganui and now Whanganui has chosen me."

Progress results for the Whanganui District Health Board show incumbents Annette Main, Charlie Anderson, Philippa Baker-Hogan, Stuart Hylton, Judith McDonald and Graham Adams have all been re-elected with Josh Chandulal-Mackay the new name at the table.

Whanganui also resoundingly voted to keep the first past the post electoral system (10,573) over adopting single transferable vote (2566).

In other polls Whanganui voters also preferred to keep the election on an at large basis (10,332) as opposed to a ward system (2310)

A majority of voters (8037) want the number of councillors reduced to 10 from 12 while 5224 want the status quo.

The final declared result, including all special votes, is expected to be available from mid-next week.