2025 Nelson City Council election
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The 2025 Nelson City Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in Nelson, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of Nelson and 12 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Nelson City 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
- Rohan O'Neill-Stevens, deputy mayor since 2022 and councillor since 2019[2][3]
Mayor
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Smith | Incumbent mayor since 2022[5][6] |
Councillors
Whakatū Māori ward
Whakatū Māori ward will return one councillor to the city council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Central ward
The Central ward will return four councillors to the city council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Stoke-Tāhunanui ward
The Stoke-Tāhunanui ward will return four councillors to the city council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Kerby | Labour | [8] | |
At-large ward
Three councillors will be elected at-large to the city council.[7]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e 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. Nelson City Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[4]
References
- ^ "2025 Triennial Council Election". www.nelson.govt.nz. Nelson City Council. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ Gee, Samantha (16 June 2025). "Nelson's deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill-Stevens to step down at next election". RNZ. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Townshend, Katie (16 June 2025). "Nelson deputy mayor won't seek re-election". The Press. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.nelson.govt.nz. Nelson City Council. p. 14. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Townshend, Katie (15 February 2025). "Should I stand or should I go? Councillors weigh up election bid". The Press. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "Elected Members (Mayor and Councillors)". www.nelson.govt.nz. Nelson City Council. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Local Governance Statement 2022–2025" (PDF). www.nelson.govt.nz. Nelson City Council. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ Frethey, Max (11 June 2025). "Labour runs Nelson council candidate". The Press. Retrieved 11 June 2025.