Andrew Tripe and his wife Carolyn Nicklin are celebrating his re-election as Whanganui Mayor. Photo / Mike Tweed
Andrew Tripe will be re-elected as Whanganui mayor for a second term.
With about 85% of the vote counted, Tripe had received 7684 votes, with Josh Chandulal-Mackay on 4153, Peter Oskam on 1533 and Greg McPhee on 235.
Tripe said he accepted “this mandate with humility”.
“Thank you to all the community who have given me the opportunity to serve and lead again, to keep Whanganui moving forward, to keep our rate rises low, to build, unite and strengthen our community, to boost our economy and continue to do the basics well.
“My campaign team and I have run a clean and positive campaign, which was incredibly important to us.
“I also want to thank my wife Carolyn and my wonderful children for the love and support they have given me over the last three years and throughout this campaign. I couldn’t have done this without them.”
Tripe also thanked those who had put their hand up for election.
“In particular, Peter Oskam and Josh Chandulal-Mackay for their mayoral run.”
Chandulal-Mackay said he had been realistic about the challenges associated with challenging a first-term incumbent mayor.
“I’m really happy with the campaign I ran and, honestly, the nerves throughout the morning have been excruciating,” he said.
“I’m relieved to have heard a result. I’m very content.”
He said he had called Tripe to congratulate him and wanted “to thank everyone for participating in the process”.
“Some big challenges are coming up over the next three years and I will work positively and constructively with Andrew and the other successfully elected councillors.”
In the general ward, Mike Hos has been elected to the council for the first time, receiving 5619 votes in the progress results.
Returning councillors are Michael Law (7479), Kate Joblin (7194), Chandulal-Mackay (7159 votes), Rob Vinsen (6869), Charlotte Melser (6366), Glenda Brown (5969), Philippa Baker-Hogan (5732), Oskam (4985), Ross Fallen (4934).
Four-term councillors Jenny Duncan, Charlie Anderson and Helen Craig did not seek re-election.
Julie Herewini (906) and Geoff Hipango (738) won Whanganui’s two Māori ward seats, with Kiritahi Firmin (502), Hayden Potaka (447) and Phil “Bear” Reweti (307) missing out.
It is the first time the Māori ward has been in place in Whanganui.
Hipango said the community was invested “in wanting to see the best in Whanganui”.
“I’m proud to sit alongside fellow elected councillors, with a focus on progressing the issues that currently face our city,” he said.
“This is new ground, for want of a word, and I’m elated to see Whanganui embracing the retention of Māori wards.
“It is going to be a bit of a learning process around all the due diligence required at such a governance-type level, but I’m very happy.”
Herewini said she was feeling humbled, grateful for the support, and “a little bit scared”.
“But I’m ready for the challenge,” she said.
“I acknowledge everyone who stood in the Māori ward.
“Huge fingers crossed that we retain the ward into the future, especially seeing that the Rangitīkei and Manawatū districts have lost their referendum.”
Top-polling councillor Michael Law said he was happy with the result – “it’s a good bit of validation”.
“You put in the hard work, you do what you say you’re going to do, and people respect that.”
He said his second term would focus on growth, including growing household income, which was below the national average.
“How do we bring down the cost of living, and how do we influence that from a council point of view?
“The council is quite averse to going into business now, but there are things we can do – like Solarnet – that don’t actually cost anything.
“Any commodity-based product that you’re buying today, the council should be providing you. You will always need energy, broadband, roads.”
Solarnet, proposed by Law in 2023, was a council-run company that would install solar panels on people’s roofs in exchange for a rates rebate. It was not included in the council’s long-term plan 2024-34.
Law said he was open to a conversation with Tripe about the deputy mayor position.
“I think it would be a good fit.”
For the Whanganui Rural Community Board, David Wells and Daryn Te Uamairangi have been elected in the Whanganui Community subdivision, beating Kiritahi Firmin and Jenny Tamakehu.
Jack Bullock, Brian Doughty and Quentin Handley were elected unopposed in the Kai Iwi subdivision, with Charlie Anderson and Bill Ashworth elected unopposed in the Kaitoke subdivision.
Progress results indicate Whanganui will retain the Māori ward for the 2028 and 2031 local elections, with 6663 voters in favour and 6213 against.
The Government-mandated referendum ran concurrently with this year’s election.
In October 2023, Whanganui councillors voted 8-5 to establish the ward, reaffirming the decision by 11-2 in September last year.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.