An obscure rule has broken a deadlock between two Whakatāne District Council candidates.
And it has resulted in a former TVNZ Te Karere reporter, Hinerangi Goodman, winning her seat thanks to a coin toss.
The newly-minted council member for Galatea-Murupara got 262 votes, exactly the same as her opposition, previous seat-holder Alison Silcock.
The deadlock, by law, had to be settled by chance, the electoral officer choosing a coin toss.
Hinerangi Goodman was a much loved broadcaster for 30 years.
"Here now, the shoe's on the other foot. I'm here to make these things I used to report on perhaps become a lot more real," she told 1 NEWS.
Despite the low turnout, she ran a slick social media campaign, with a host of Māori running mates on her ticket.
Political commentator Tau Henare said, "It's been good and more power to the the Maori community to say, 'hey we're here and we're part of the community'."
Hinerangi Goodman is now keen to get on with the job.
"I really want bring back the heart in our communities. I want to bring back what they used to be - thriving communities," she said.
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