New Zealanders have had their say in the 2025 local elections, with results beginning to paint a picture of how voters want their communities led for the next three years.
Voting to fill more than 1500 positions on 78 city, district, and regional councils across New Zealand closed at midday on Saturday, with results based on progress counts being released throughout the afternoon. Final results for closer races would be confirmed next week.
Local Government NZ said more than 1 million votes had been counted in this year's local elections, representing a voter turnout of 31.61%.
More than half of the councils voting today – 37 city of district and five regional – were also holding binding referendums on whether to keep or remove their Māori wards or constituencies.
So far, 22 councils have voted to remove Māori wards, 16 have chosen to keep them, and four results were still outstanding.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has been re-elected in a landslide victory with a majority in excess of 90,000 votes.
Running on the Fix Auckland ticket, Brown received 146,642 votes – significantly ahead of his closest competitor, independent Kerrin Leoni.
Brown addressed media this afternoon at Auckland’s Karanga Plaza, saying it was “heartening” to receive the winning result.
"I think people have voted for me again because they know what they're going to get... I do have a clear direction,” he said.
He said he was here to “finish the job that I’ve started” and was “relieved and humbled by the fact that I’ve got an overwhelming support".
"I'm looking forward to getting my hands on [Auckland Transport],” Brown said. “It's taken me three years."
Wellington has elected Andrew Little as its mayor, with the former Labour leader receiving 34,240 votes to rival Karl Tiefenbacher's 8807.
"Wellington faces challenges but I believe that together we have the talent, the ideas and the ambition to get our city back to its best," Little said.
"Today's result is a clear mandate for the plan I put to voters – enabling more affordable housing; faster, more reliable public transport; investment in our community facilities; backing local businesses and getting the council's costs under control."
Outgoing mayor Tory Whanau missed out on a Wellington Māori ward seat.
"It would have been an absolute honour but democracy has spoken," she said.
In Christchurch, incumbent mayor Phil Mauger was comfortably re-elected, securing 54,644 votes – nearly 20,000 more than his closest rival, Sara Templeton.
He said he was "very, very happy" with his win, adding he was "very grateful to the people of Christchurch".
Mauger said Christchurch is “on an upwards trajectory” and “everyone’s on board with it”.
“I don’t want to lose momentum. Christchurch has been in the doldrums for 15 years and has been shooting out of [them] like a rocket."
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell, Nelson Mayor Nick Smith, Gore Mayor Ben Bell, Porirua's Anita Baker, and Tasman's Tim King were also re-elected.
A few have lost their roles, including Dunedin's Jules Radich, Napier's Kirsten Wise and Upper Hutt's Wayne Guppy, who had been in the role since 2001.
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