2025 Porirua City Council election
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The 2025 Porirua City Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in Porirua, New Zealand, as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of Porirua and 10 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Porirua City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote 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]
Background
Māori wards referendum
In May 2021, the Porirua City Council voted to establish a Māori ward,[3] with the Parirua Māori ward first contested in the 2022 elections.[4]
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing Māori wards or constituencies. In August 2024, the council voted unanimously to affirm their decision to establish the Māori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.[4][5]
Amalgamation referendum
In May 2025, Porirua City Council voted to also hold an indicative referendum alongside the election regarding potential amalgamation of the council with Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.[6]
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
Mayor
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anita Baker | Incumbent mayor since 2019.[9][10] | |
| Kathleen Filo | Councillor for the Onepoto ward since 2022[11] |
Councillors
Parirua Māori ward
Parirua Māori ward will return one councillor to the city council.[12]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Onepoto General ward
The Onepoto General ward will return five councillors to the city council.[12]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zac Painting | Green | Policy analyst and teacher[13] | |
| Yan Zhang | Shared Kitchen and Sensory Hub Builder | [14] | |
Pāuatahanui General ward
The Pāuatahanui General ward will return four councillors to the city council.[12]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phill Houlihan | ACT Local | Barber and law student[15] | |
| Moira Lawler | [16] | ||
| Aditi Tiwari | Green[17] | Student at Victoria University of Wellington[18] | |
Other local elections
Voters in the city will also elect members of the Greater Wellington Regional Council (2 members partially from the district in the Porirua-Tawa general constituency and one member partially from the district in the Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui Māori constituency).[19]
See also
- 2025 Wellington City Council election
- 2025 Kāpiti Coast District Council election
- 2025 Hutt City Council election
- 2025 Upper Hutt City Council election
Notes
- ^ a b c d A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket, political party, whānau, hapū, or iwi.[7] Porirua City Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[8]
References
- ^ "Key dates timeline". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Elections". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Williams, Katarina (19 August 2021). "Major changes in way Porirua City councillors are elected set for consultation". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Porirua to retain Māori ward and go to a poll". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Murray, Anna (6 September 2024). "Māori wards deadline: Most councils stand firm, express frustration". 1News. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (29 May 2025). "Porirua voters to have their say on region-wide council amalgamation". The Post. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Porirua City Council. p. 12. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Stand | E tū". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ James, Nick (4 February 2025). "Are Wellington's council leaders running for the top jobs again this year?". RNZ. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (28 January 2025). "Porirua mayor announces campaign for third term". The Post. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (7 July 2025). "Porirua councillor announces mayoralty run". The Post. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b c "Find your ward". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Zac Painting for Onepoto General Ward, Porirua City Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (25 June 2025). "Local Barber And Law Student, Phill Houlihan, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For Porirua City Council Election". www.scoop.co.nz. Scoop. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ Lawler, Moira (1 July 2025). "Moira Lawler launches campaign for Porirua's Pāuatahanui Ward" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Aditi Tiwari for Pāuatahanui General Ward, Porirua City Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ Laughton, Harriet (21 June 2025). "Fears for the would-be female mayors". The Post. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Representation arrangements". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.