2025 Gisborne District Council election
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Council election | |||||||||
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Incumbents before election:
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The 2025 Gisborne District Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in the Gisborne District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of Gisborne and 13 district councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Gisborne District Council. Postal voting and the single transferable voting system will be used.
The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election; its future will be decided in a referendum on the issue, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates will open
- 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates will close at 12 pm
- 9 September 2025: Voting documents will be posted and voting will open
- 11 October 2025: Voting will close at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results will be published
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results will be declared.[1]
Background
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Ani Pahuru-Huriwai, councillor for the Māori ward since 2022[2]
- Tony Robinson, councillor for the general ward, resigned to take up the position of key account manager for the council[2][3]
- Josh Wharehinga, deputy mayor and councillor since 2014[4]
Mayor
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rehette Stoltz | Incumbent mayor since 2019[2][6] |
Councillors
Tairāwhiti Māori ward
Tairāwhiti Māori ward will return five councillors to the district council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rawinia Parata | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][6] | |
| Aubrey Ria | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][6] | |
| Rhonda Tibble | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][6] | |
| Nick Tupara | Incumbent councillor since 2022[8][6] |
Tairāwhiti General ward
The Tairāwhiti General ward will return eight councillors to the district council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Foster | Incumbent councillor since 2016[2][6] | |
| Debbie Gregory | Incumbent councillor since 2019[2][6] |
Notes
- ^ a b c A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Gisborne District Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[5]
References
- ^ "2025 local body elections". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Campbell, Zita (5 March 2025). "Gisborne Election: Mayor to run again, three councillors to step down". Stuff. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (17 April 2025). "From one council role to another: 'Now I get to do the action stuff'". Gisborne Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Zita (2 January 2005). "Gisborne deputy mayor Josh Wharehinga won't seek re-election after 12 years in local government". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ "Puka whakamārama kaitono rohē pōti | Candidate information handbook 2025" (PDF). www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Councillor contact details". www.gdc.govt.nz. Gisborne District Council. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Determination" (PDF). www.lgc.govt.nz. Local Government Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Zita. "Four out of five Māori Ward Gisborne Councillors to seek re-election". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 17 April 2025.