2025 Dunedin mayoral election

2025 Dunedin mayoral election
11 October 2025
Turnout43,295 (45.39%)
 
Candidate Sophie Barker Andrew Simms Lee Vandervis
Affiliation Independent Future Dunedin Independent
Primary vote 10,382 11,377 7,234
Percentage 23.98% 26.28% 16.71%
Final vote 16,874 15,976 excluded
Percentage 51.37% 48.63%
 
Candidate Jules Radich Marie Laufiso
Affiliation Independent Building Kotahitaka
Primary vote 3,485 2,437
Percentage 8.05% 5.63%
Final vote excluded excluded
Mayor before election

Jules Radich
Team Dunedin

Elected mayor

Sophie Barker
Independent

The 2025 Dunedin mayoral election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Dunedin, New Zealand, as part of that year's city council election and nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Dunedin for the 2025–2028 term of the Dunedin City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.

Councillor Sophie Barker won the mayoralty, defeating incumbent mayor Jules Radich.

Key dates

  • 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opened
  • 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates closed at 12 pm
  • 9 September 2025: Voting documents were posted and voting opened
  • 11 October 2025: Voting closed at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results were published
  • 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.[1][2]

Background

Electoral system

The election was held using the Single Transferable Vote system.[3] Voting took place by post and through the returning of completed voting papers to ballot boxes.[4]

Campaign

One key election issue was the proposed landfill site at Smooth Hill. While the incumbent Mayor Jules Radich supported the Smooth Hill landfill site, mayoral candidate Andrew Simms and his Future Dunedin ticket opposed the new landfill site and campaigned on reversing the Council's decision to acquire the site for rubbish disposal.[5]

List of candidates

Declared candidates

Candidate[6] Photo Affiliation Notes
Lync Aronson Independent-Fully Funded City Council Also ran for council[7]
Sophie Barker Independent – working for you City councillor since 2019, and former deputy mayor (2022–2023).[8] Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[9][7] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Doug Hall None Also ran for council[7]
Carmen Houlahan Independent City councillor since 2019.[10] Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[9][7] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Marie Laufiso Building Kotahitaka Incumbent councillor since 2016.[7][11] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Lianna MacFarlane Independent Hypnotherapist and life coach.[7] Also ran to be a councillor.
Mandy Mayhem None City councillor since 2022.[12][7] Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[9] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
David Milne None Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[9][7] Also ran for council.
Flynn "Nisvett" Nisbett Aotearoa New Zealand Silly Hat Party Leader (king), Aotearoa New Zealand Silly Hat Party.[13][7] Joke party candidate.
Benedict Ong None Former international banker.[7] Also ran to be a councillor.
Jules Radich Incumbent mayor since 2022[14][15]
Zenith Rose-Wills
(aka Ruthven Allimrac) 		The Radical Action Faction Climate activist[7] and "vampire"[16]
Andrew Simms Future Dunedin Businessman, Mosgiel-Taieri Community board chair, and leader of the Future Dunedin ticket.[14][17] Also ran for council.
Pamela Taylor Independent Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022.[18][7] Also ran to be a councillor.
Mickey Treadwell Green Video game programmer and part-time lecturer.[19][7] Also ran to be a councillor.
Lee Vandervis Independent City councillor since 2004 and perennial candidate.[12][7] Previously ran for mayor in 2022.[9] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.

Endorsements

On 17 June 2025, former Team Dunedin Councillors Andrew Whiley and Kevin Gilbert endorsed Sophie Barker as mayoral candidate. They along with fellow Team Dunedin councillor Brent Weatherall declined to endorse Jules Radich for a second term as Mayor of Dunedin.[20]

Results

When progress results were released on the afternoon after voting closed, it was clear that Dunedin would get a new mayor, but it was unclear who that was going to be. Radich, the incumbent, had come fourth. Sophie Barker had a slim margin of 105 votes over Andrew Simms, with Lee Vandervis in third place.[21]

With the release of the preliminary results Sophie Barker was confirmed as the winner, having a clear lead of 726 votes over Andrew Simms. Final results increased this to 898.[22][23]


2025 Dunedin mayoral election[24]
Affiliation Candidate Primary vote % Iteration vote Final %
Independent Sophie Barker 10,382 23.98 #15 16,874 51.37
Future Dunedin Andrew Simms 11,377 26.28 #15 15,976 48.63
Independent Lee Vandervis 7,234 16.71 #14 8,739
Independent Jules Radich† 3,485 8.05 #13 4,174
Building Kotahitaka Marie Laufiso 2,437 5.63 #12 4,001
Green Mickey Treadwell 1,967 4.54 #11 2,491
Independent Mandy Mayhem 1,259 2.91 #10 1,480
Independent Benedict Ong 947 2.19 #9 1,248
Independent Carmen Houlahan 758 1.75 #8 1,017
Independent Doug Hall 675 1.56 #7 797
Independent Lync Aronson 657 1.52 #6 739
Independent Lianna MacFarlane 422 0.97 #5 497
Independent David Milne 344 0.79 #4 360
The Radical Action Faction Ruthven Allimrac 296 0.68 #3 314
Independent Pamela Taylor 149 0.34 #2 149
Silly Hat Party Flynn Nisbett 73 0.17 #1 73
Quota 21,231 49.04 #15 16,425 50.00
Informal 106 0.24
Blank 727 1.68
Turnout 43,295 45.39
Registered 95,394
Independent gain from Team Dunedin
† incumbent

See also

References

  1. ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.dunedin.govt.nz. Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  2. ^ "2025 Elections". www.orc.govt.nz. Otago Regional Council. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  3. ^ "STV Information". Department of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Elections". Dunedin City Council. 12 June 2025. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  5. ^ Mathias, Shanti (16 September 2025). "The disagreement over Dunedin's new dump". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 19 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  6. ^ "2025 Triennial Elections | Dunedin City Council". www.electionz.com. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Ward, Tara (7 August 2025). "More people want to be mayor of Dunedin than anywhere else. So who are they?". The Spinoff. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  8. ^ Shaw, Ruby (14 June 2025). "Mayoral candidate ready to step up". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Mayoral candidate profiles – Dunedin". Otago Daily Times. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  10. ^ Miller, Grant (2 July 2025). "Houlahan joining race for mayoralty". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Mayor and Councillors". www.dunedin.govt.nz. Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  12. ^ a b Shaw, Ruby (22 May 2025). "Eighth time lucky for Vandervis in mayoral bid?". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  13. ^ NisVett, Flynn (2 June 2025). "Flynn NisVett puts hat in the ring for Dunedin Mayoralty". Silly Hat Party. Archived from the original on 3 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  14. ^ a b Manhire, Toby (7 February 2025). "Who is in and who is out in the big mayoral races of 2025?". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  15. ^ Miller, Grant (12 October 2024). "Radich keen to keep hold of mayoral chain". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  16. ^ Ward, Tara (17 September 2025). "'Let the vampire speak': A night with the Dunedin mayoral candidates". The Spinoff. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  17. ^ MacLean, Hamish (17 March 2025). "New 'Future Dunedin' DCC ticket declared". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  18. ^ McNeilly, Hamish (18 August 2022). "Conspiracy theorist Pamela Taylor running for Dunedin mayoralty". Stuff. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  19. ^ "Thriving communities sought by Greens candidates". Otago Daily Times. 27 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  20. ^ Shaw, Ruby (17 June 2025). "Radich allies switch to Barker". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  21. ^ Gill, Sinead (11 October 2025). "Live: Counting begins to determine cities' next mayors". The Post. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  22. ^ Council, Dunedin City. "2025 election results - Dunedin City Council". www.dunedin.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Sophie Barker confirmed as Dunedin's next mayor". RNZ. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  24. ^ Morton, Anthony (16 October 2025). "2025 Triennial Elections – Declaration of Result" (PDF). electionz.com. Dunedin City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2025.
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