2004 Porirua mayoral election
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| Turnout | 17,632 (42.70%) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2004 Porirua mayoral election was part of the 2004 New Zealand local elections. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Porirua plus other local government positions including thirteen city councillors, also elected triennially. This was the first Porirua mayoral election to be held under the Single transferable vote voting system.
Background
The incumbent Mayor, Jenny Brash, sought re-election for a third term. After winning a second term uncontested, she was opposed deputy mayor Kevin Watson, councillor Robert Shaw, former Race Relations Conciliator Gregory Fortuin, real estate manager Euon Murrell and teacher Paul Hopkinson, who had came to national attention in 2003 after burning a New Zealand flag during a protest against the Iraq war.[1] Councillor John Green contemplated running while councillor Ken Douglas ruled it out, but ran for re-election to the council having changed his allegiance from independent to the Labour Party. Porirua business leaders attempted to convince Mark Blumsky, the former Mayor of Wellington to stand, but he could not be persuaded.[2]
Watson only finished third and lost his council seat in a shock result. The final election result declaration was delayed by 17 days after a computer glitch left 10 percent of all votes cast uncounted.[3]
Mayoral results
The following table gives the final iteration (fifth) of the election results:
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Jenny Brash | 7,156 | 40.58 | ||
| Independent | Gregory Fortuin | 4,442 | 25.19 | ||
| Labour | Kevin Watson | 2,561 | 14.52 | ||
| Independent | Euon Murrell | 1,726 | 9.78 | ||
| Independent | Robert Shaw | 1,295 | 7.34 | ||
| Anti-Capitalist Alliance | Paul Hopkinson | 126 | 0.71 | ||
| Informal votes | 326 | 1.84 | |||
| Majority | 2,714 | 15.39 | |||
| Turnout | 17,632 | 42.70 | −0.10 | ||
Ward results
Candidates were also elected from wards to the Porirua City Council.
| Party/ticket | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 8 | |
| Labour | 5 |
References
- ^ "Who would be mayor?". The Dominion Post. 6 September 2004. p. A1.
- ^ O'Sullivan, Matt (11 March 2004). "Two to seek mayoralty". The Dominion Post. p. A6.
- ^ Mulrooney, Paul (27 October 2004). "After 17 days, Porirua completes its election". The Dominion Post. p. A5.
- ^ "Porirua City Council and Porirua Licensing Trust - Elections 2004". The Dominion Post. 28 October 2004. p. C10.
- ^ Mulrooney, Paul (28 October 2004). "Councillors line up in race for deputy mayor". The Dominion Post. p. A7.