A 23-year-old has been elected as Gore's new mayor, making him the youngest mayor in Aotearoa's history.
It was confirmed on Thursday that Ben Bell, 23, won the Gore mayoral race by eight votes in a nail-biting finish.
Bell told 1News he was with his mum when he got the call.
He said he's "ecstatic", and it's "incredibly humbling to be trusted as a young mayor".
Aged 23, Ben Bell won the vote by just eight over incumbent Tracy Hicks. (Source: 1News)
"I’m really glad the news came through today and I didn’t have to wait until tomorrow or the weekend to get the result."
Speaking to 1News, Bell thanked incumbent mayor Tracy Hicks, who had been mayor for 18 years, for a close race and acknowledged his legacy.
The young entrepreneur received 2371 votes, just pipping Hicks, who received 2363 votes.
Southland District Council also saw a tight race with Rob Scott beating Geoffrey Young for the mayoralty by just 39 votes.
Scott said he was "over the moon" at the result.
“My number one goal is to do my best for the district," he said this afternoon.
Incumbent Southland mayor Gary Tong came in third, just six votes behind Young.
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