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Mayoral election | |||||||||
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Council election | |||||||||
13 seats on theWhanganui District Council 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||
The2025 Whanganui District Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in theWhanganui District of New Zealand as part of that year'snation-wide local elections. Voters elected themayor of Whanganui, 12 district councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of theWhanganui District Council. Postal voting and thefirst-past-the-post voting system were used.
The council voted to introduce aMāori ward at this election; its future was decided in a referendum on the issue, as part of anation-wide series of referendums.
Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term.
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Voters in the district elected themayor of Whanganui, 12 councillors in 2 wards, and the members of the Rural Community Board.[a][3] They alsoelected members of the Horizons Regional Council.[b][2][4]
In early October, incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe drew controversy when he attended a candlelit vigil for American conservative activistCharlie Kirk, following said activist'sassassination. Tripe said he regretted his comments at the vigil, saying he "naïvely" went to the event after being invited and that he did not know that Kirk was a divisive figure. He was quoted as saying that "Charlie Kirk shed his blood for us" and that "it is our call to act on what Charlie Kirk was doing, boldly."[5]
| Candidate[8] | Photo | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Chandulal-Mackay | A New Generation of Leadership | Councillor since2016.[10] Also running for re-election as a councillor in the general ward. | ||
| Gregory McPhee | None | Also running to be a councillor in the general ward | ||
| Peter Oskam | Community before Coin | Councillor since2022.[6][11] Also running for re-election as a councillor in the general ward. | ||
| Andrew Tripe | .jpg) | Let's keep Whanganui moving forward | Mayor since 2022[6][12] | |
WhanganuiMāori ward will return two councillors to the district council.[3][13]
| Candidate[8] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiritahi Firmin | Independent | ||
| Julie Herewini | None | ||
| Geoff Hipango | None | ||
| Hayden Potaka | Independent | ||
| Phil T Reweti (Bear) | None | ||
Whanganui General ward will return ten councillors to the district council.[3][13]
| Candidate[8] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philippa Baker-Hogan | Ratepayer & Sport focused | Incumbent councillor[14] | |
| Jason Bardell | Back to Basics | ||
| Glenda Brown | Independent | Councillor since 2022[6][14] | |
| Josh Chandulal-Mackay | A New Generation of Leadership | Incumbent councillor since2016.[10] Also running for mayor. | |
| Julian Emmett | None | ||
| Ross Fallen | Independent | Councillor since 2022[6][14] | |
| Awhi Haenga | None | Green endorsed[15] | |
| Mike Hos | A voice for our city's future | ||
| Tracey Jarman | Rates & Community focused | ||
| Kate Joblin | Independent | Councillor since 2016[6][14] | |
| Sandra Isobel Kyle | Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa NZ | [16] | |
| Michael Law | Whanganui First | Councillor since 2022[6][14] | |
| Gregory McPhee | None | Also running for mayor | |
| Charlotte Melser | Independent | Councillor since 2022[6][14] | |
| Michael Organ | Whanganui First | Subject of theDavid Farrier documentaryMister Organ[17] | |
| Rob Oscroft | Focus Whanganui | ||
| Peter Oskam | Community before Coin | Also standing for mayor. Councillor since 2022.[6][14] | |
| Scott Phillips | Every cent counts, every voice matters | ||
| Jay Rerekura | None | ||
| Tony Sundman | None | ||
| Rob Vinsen | Ratepayer focused | Councillor since 2008[6][14] | |
| Robin Westley | Independent | ||
| Azian Z. | Real solutions for Whanganui | ||
Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term.[19]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s keep Whanganui moving forward | Andrew Tripe | 8,871 | 54.2% | |
| A New Generation of Leadership | Josh Chandulal-Mackay | 5,013 | 30.6% | |
| Community before Coin | Peter Oskam | 1,824 | 11.1% | |
| None | Gregory McPhee | 279 | 1.7% | |
| Informal | 23 | 0.1% | ||
| Blank | 357 | 2.2% | ||
| Majority | 3,858 | 23.6% | ||
| Turnout | 16,367 | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Michael Law | 8,711 | ||
| A New Generation of Leadership | Josh Chandulal-Mackay | 8,404 | ||
| Independent | Kate Joblin | 8,358 | ||
| Ratepayer Focused | Rob Vinsen | 7,983 | ||
| Independent | Charlotte Melser | 7,497 | ||
| Independent | Glenda Brown | 6,921 | ||
| Ratepayer & Sport Focused | Phillipa Baker-Hogan | 6,627 | ||
| A voice for our city's future | Mike Hos | 5,842 | ||
| Community before Coin | Peter Oskam | 5,842 | ||
| Independent | Ross Fallen | 5,685 | ||
| Focus Whanganui | Rob Oscroft | 5,115 | ||
| None | Jay Rerekura | 4,928 | ||
| Rates & Community Focused | Tracey Jarman | 3,770 | ||
| Back to Basics | Jason Bardell | 3,755 | ||
| Every cent counts, every voice matters | Scott Phillips | 3,660 | ||
| None | Tony Sundman | 3,089 | ||
| None | Awhi Haenga | 2,887 | ||
| Real Solutions for Whanganui | Azian Z | 2,549 | ||
| None | Julian Emmett | 2,185 | ||
| Whanganui First | Michael Organ | 1,849 | ||
| Independent | Robin Westley | 1,764 | ||
| Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa NZ | Sandra Isobel Kyle | 1,764 | ||
| None | Gregory McPhee | 1,425 | ||
| Informal | 47 | |||
| Blank | 107 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Julie Herewini | 1,053 | ||
| None | Geoff Hipango | 867 | ||
| Independent | Kiritahi Firmin | 590 | ||
| Independent | Hayden Potaka | 524 | ||
| None | Phil T Reweti (Bear) | 372 | ||
| Informal | 0 | |||
| Blank | 20 | |||
| Turnout | ||||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to keep the Māori ward | 7,882 | 52.05 | |
| I vote to remove the Māori ward | 7,262 | 47.95 | |
| Total | 15,144 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 15,144 | 92.53 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,223 | 7.47 | |
| Total votes | 16,367 | 100.00 | |
| Source:[18] | |||
