2025 New Plymouth District Council election
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The 2025 New Plymouth District Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in the New Plymouth District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of New Plymouth, 14 district councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the New Plymouth 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][2][3]
Background
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Tony Bedford, councillor since 2019[4][5]
- Gordon Brown, councillor since 2013[4][6]
- Bali Haque, councillor since 2022[4]
- Anneka Carlson Matthews, councillor since 2019[4]
- Marie Pearce, councillor since 2010[4][7]
Mayor
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Bennett | Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022. Incumbent councillor for the at-large ward[9][10] | |
| Max Brough | Incumbent at-large councillor.[10] Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2019.[11] | |
| Graham Chard | Incumbent chair of the Kaitake Community Board.[12] Also running as a councillor in the Kaitake Ngāmotu ward.[13] | |
| Murray Chong | Incumbent councillor for the Kaitake-Ngāmotu ward.[10] Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022.[14] | |
| Sarah Lucas | Inglewood community board member[15] | |
| Murray "Muzz" McDowell | Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022[9] |
Councillors
Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa Māori ward
Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa Māori ward will return one councillor to the district council.[2]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Te Waka McLeod | Incumbent councillor since 2022[16] | |
| Peter Moeahu | Taranaki iwi representative and father of councillor Dinnie Moeahu[17][16] |
Kaitake-Ngāmotu general ward
Kaitake-Ngāmotu general ward will return six councillors to the district council.[2]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Chard | Incumbent chair of the Kaitake Community Board[12] Also running for mayor.[13] | ||
| Damon Fox | ACT Local | Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) clinician[18] | |
| Moira Irving | Former Taranaki Regional councillor[19][13] | ||
| Lani Mackie-Hunt | [13] | ||
| Craig Tonkin | [13] | ||
Kōhanga Moa general ward
Kōhanga Moa general ward will return one councillor to the district council.[2]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
North general ward
North general ward will return one councillor to the district council.[2]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Marshall | Incumbent chair of the Waitara Community Board[12][13] |
At-large ward
Five councillors will be elected at-large to the district council.[2]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Bennett | Also running for mayor. Incumbent councillor[9][10] |
Other local elections
Voters in the district will also elect members of the Taranaki Regional Council (five members from the district in the New Plymouth general constituency, two members partially from the district in the North Taranaki general constituency, and one member partially from the district in the Taranaki Māori constituency).[20] Voters will also elect members of five community boards (Clifton, Inglewood, Kaitake, Puketapu-Bell Block, and Waitara).[2]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f 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. New Plymouth District Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[8]
References
- ^ "TIMETABLE | WĀTAKA" (PDF). www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "FACT SHEET | WHĀRANGI MEKA" (PDF). www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Elections timeline". www.trc.govt.nz. Taranaki Regional Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e McLean, Glenn (29 April 2025). "List of councillors not standing grows around NPDC table". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Groenestein, Catherine (21 October 2019). "New councillor wins seat on New Plymouth District Council by a three-vote margin". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ Martin, Robin (8 October 2024). "Taranaki 'unitary council' a 'no-brainer', councillor says". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ Harvey, Helen (31 December 2024). "Recognition for a small town's champion". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 12 May 2025.(subscription required)
- ^ "2025 CANDIDATE INFORMATION HANDBOOK" (PDF). www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Johnston, Will (1 March 2025). "Bennett first to put hand up for New Plymouth mayoralty". Taranaki Daily News. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Mayor and councillors". www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ McLean, Glenn (28 June 2025). "Brough makes second bid for New Plymouth mayoralty". Taranaki Daily News. The Post. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Community board members". www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Candidates". www.npdc.govt.nz. New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ MacLean, Glenn (14 May 2025). "Another crack at New Plymouth mayoralty for Murray Chong". Taranaki Daily News. The Post. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ McLean, Glenn (20 June 2025). "Add the name Sarah Lucas to the New Plymouth mayoralty race". Taranaki Daily News. The Post. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b Ashworth, Craig (6 July 2025). "Shaky seat to vote future vs history". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ McLean, Glenn. "Moeahu Sr to stand for New Plymouth council". The Post. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (25 June 2025). "Local Addictions Clinician, Damon Fox, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For New Plymouth District Council Election". www.scoop.co.nz. Scoop. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ George, Moira (9 July 2025). ""Stay In Your Lane," Says NPDC Candidate Moira George" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions – local elections". www.trc.govt.nz. Taranaki Regional Council. Retrieved 18 April 2025.