2025 Greater Wellington Regional Council election
11 October 2025
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14 seats on the Greater Wellington Regional Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 Greater Wellington Regional Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in the Wellington region of New Zealand, as part of that year's regional council elections and other local elections held nation-wide. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.[1][2]
The Greater Wellington Regional Council makes decisions about environmental management, flood protection and land management, the provision of regional parks, public transport planning and funding, and metropolitan water supply for Greater Wellington.[3]
The council introduced a Māori constituency for this election and, in a referendum on its future held alongside this election, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums, voters elected to keep the Māori constituency.
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 released
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results will be declared.[1]
Background
Referendum
In October 2023, the Greater Wellington Regional Council voted to create a Māori constituency for the 2025 & 2028 elections.[4][5]
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing Māori wards or constituencies. The council then voted unanimously in August 2024 to affirm their decision to establish the Māori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.[6][7]
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- David Bassett, councillor for the Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency[8]
- Chris Kirk-Burnnand, councillor for the Porirua-Tawa constituency[9]
- Ken Laban, councillor for the Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency, is instead seeking election for mayor in Lower Hutt[10]
- David Lee, councillor for the Pōneke/Wellington constituency,[9] is instead seeking election as a councillor for the Pukehīnau/Lambton ward of the Wellington City Council[11][12]
- Thomas Nash, Green Party councillor for the Pōneke/Wellington constituency[13][9]
Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency
Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency returned one councillor to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shamia Makarini | None | ||
As the only candidate, Makarini was elected unopposed to be the inaugural Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency councillor.[17]
Kāpiti Coast constituency
The Kāpiti Coast constituency returned one councillor to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Ferguson | None | Incumbent Horizons Regional councillor.[18][19] Green Party endorsed.[20] | ||
| Penny Gaylor | None | Incumbent councillor[9][19] | ||
Porirua-Tawa constituency
The Porirua-Tawa constituency returned two councillors to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grenville Gaskell | Independent | |||
| Daniel Hicks | Independent | |||
| Claire Johnstone | Independent | |||
| Phil Rhodes | None | Land surveyor, and husband of Porirua mayor Anita Baker[21][22] | ||
| Hikitia Ropata | Independent | Incumbent councillor[9] | ||
Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt constituency
Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt constituency returned one councillor to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ros Connelly | None | Incumbent councillor[9] | ||
As the only candidate, Connelly was re-elected unopposed.[17]
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency returned three councillors to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quentin Duthie | Green | Incumbent councillor[9] | ||
| Nigel Elder | ACT Local | Business owner and former New Zealand Defence Force serviceman[23] | ||
| Omar Faruque | Independent | [24] | ||
| Mike Fisher | Independent | Former chair of the Petone community board | ||
| Tom Murphy | Independent | |||
| Matt Shand | None | |||
| Mike Stevenson | Independent | |||
| Gabriel Tupou | Independent | Incumbent Hutt City councillor[25][26] | ||
Pōneke/Wellington constituency
The Pōneke/Wellington constituency returned five councillors to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Free | Independent | Incumbent Wellington city councillor for the Motukairangi/Eastern ward since 2013[27] | ||
| Glenda Hughes | Independent Former Councillor | Former regional councillor[28] | ||
| Alice Claire Hurdle | ACT Local | |||
| Tom James | Labour | [29] | ||
| Tom Kay | Independent | |||
| Mark Kelynack | Independent | |||
| Belinda McFadgen | None | |||
| Henry Peach | Green | [30] | ||
| Daran Ponter | Labour | Incumbent councillor and council chair[29][31][9] | ||
| Yadana Saw | Green | Incumbent councillor[32][9][24] | ||
| Simon Woolf | Independent | Incumbent councillor[9] | ||
Wairarapa constituency
The Wairarapa constituency returned one councillor to the regional council.[14]
| Candidate[15] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alistair Plimmer | None | Incumbent South Wairarapa District councillor[33] | ||
| Adrienne Staples | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2016[34][9] | ||
Results
With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[35]
Summary
| Ward | Previous | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kāpiti Coast | Penny Gaylor | Penny Gaylor | ||
| Porirua-Tawa | Hikitia Ropata | Phil Rhodes | ||
| Chris Kirk-BurnnandR | Claire Johnstone | |||
| Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt | Ros Connelly | Ros Connelly | ||
| Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt | Quentin Duthie | Quentin Duthie | ||
| Ken LabanR | Gabiel Tupou | |||
| David BassettR | Nigel Elder | |||
| Pōneke/Wellington | Simon Woolf | Simon Woolf | ||
| Daran Ponter | Daran Ponter | |||
| Yadana Saw | Yadana Saw | |||
| Thomas NashR | Tom James | |||
| David LeeR | Sarah Free | |||
| Wairarapa | Adrienne Staples | Adrienne Staples | ||
| Te Upoko o te ika a Maui Māori | new seat | Shamia Makarini | ||
| R retired | ||||
Kāpiti Coast regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Penny Gaylor† | 9,306 | 48.71 | |
| Independent | Sam Ferguson | 8,096 | 42.38 | |
| Quota | 8,701 | 45.55 | ||
| Informal | 22 | 0.12 | ||
| Blank | 1,680 | 8.79 | ||
| Turnout | 19,104 | 46.47 | ||
| Registered | 41,109 | |||
| Independent hold on 1st iteration | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Porirua-Tawa regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary vote | % | Iteration vote[b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Phil Rhodes | 5,437 | 26.57 | #3 | 7,075 | |
| Independent | Claire Johnstone | 4,184 | 20.44 | #4 | 6,193 | |
| Independent | Hikitia Ropata† | 4,290 | 20.96 | #4 | 5,115 | |
| Independent | Grenville Gaskell | 3,145 | 15.37 | #2 | 3,430 | |
| Independent | Daniel Hicks | 1,470 | 7.18 | #1 | 1,470 | |
| Quota | 6,175 | 7.18 | #4 | 5,740 | ||
| Informal | 100 | 0.49 | ||||
| Blank | 1,839 | 8.99 | ||||
| Turnout | 20,465 | 41.76 | ||||
| Registered | 49,012 | |||||
| Independent gain from Independent on 3rd iteration | ||||||
| Independent gain from Independent on 4th iteration | ||||||
| † incumbent | ||||||
Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary Vote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Ros Connelly† | Unopposed | |
| Registered | 31,681 | ||
| Independent hold | |||
| † incumbent | |||
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary vote | % | Iteration vote[b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green | Quentin Duthie† | 7,676 | 25.40 | #1 | 7,676 | |
| Independent | Gabriel Tupou | 5,906 | 19.55 | #5 | 6,956 | |
| ACT Local | Nigel Elder | 5,378 | 17.80 | #9 | 6,951 | |
| Independent | Mike Fisher | 2,168 | 7.18 | #9 | 4,537 | |
| Independent | Mike Stevenson | 2,290 | 7.58 | #8 | 3,261 | |
| Independent | Matt Shand | 1,258 | 4.16 | #5 | 1,620 | |
| Independent | Omar Faruque | 1,217 | 4.03 | #4 | 1,429 | |
| Independent | Tom Murphy | 1,066 | 3.53 | #2 | 1,115 | |
| Quota | 6,740 | 22.31 | #9 | 6,659 | ||
| Informal | 880 | 2.91 | ||||
| Blank | 2,377 | 7.87 | ||||
| Turnout | 30,216 | 41.67 | ||||
| Registered | 72,515 | |||||
| Green hold on 1st iteration | ||||||
| Independent gain from Independent on 5th iteration | ||||||
| ACT Local gain from Independent on 9th iteration | ||||||
| † incumbent | ||||||
Pōneke/Wellington regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary vote | % | Iteration vote[b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Simon Woolf† | 11,552 | 15.70 | #2 | 11,772 | |
| Labour | Daran Ponter† | 11,125 | 15.12 | #3 | 11,549 | |
| Green | Yadana Saw† | 10,401 | 14.14 | #5 | 13,327 | |
| Labour | Tom James | 6,421 | 8.73 | #11 | 11,829 | |
| Independent | Sarah Free | 6,846 | 9.31 | #11 | 11,160 | |
| ACT Local | Alice Hurdle | 6,264 | 8.52 | #11 | 8,206 | |
| Independent | Tom Kay | 3,941 | 5.36 | #9 | 6,381 | |
| Independent | Glenda Hughes | 4,512 | 6.13 | #7 | 5,063 | |
| Green | Henry Peach | 4,254 | 5.78 | #4 | 4,601 | |
| Independent | Belinda McFadgen | 3,192 | 4.34 | #2 | 3,303 | |
| Independent | Mark Kelynack | 1,297 | 1.76 | #1 | 1,297 | |
| Quota | 11,634 | 15.82 | #11 | 10,781 | ||
| Informal | 387 | 0.53 | ||||
| Blank | 3,368 | 4.58 | ||||
| Turnout | 73,560 | 50.43 | ||||
| Registered | 145,855 | |||||
| Independent hold on 2nd iteration | ||||||
| Labour hold on 3rd iteration | ||||||
| Green hold on 5th iteration | ||||||
| Labour gain from Green on 11th iteration | ||||||
| Independent gain from Independent on 11th iteration | ||||||
| † incumbent | ||||||
Wairarapa regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Adrienne Staples† | 8,875 | 49.17 | |
| Independent | Alistair Plimmer | 7,461 | 41.33 | |
| Quota | 8,168 | 45.25 | ||
| Informal | 18 | 0.10 | ||
| Blank | 1,697 | 9.40 | ||
| Turnout | 18,051 | 52.04 | ||
| Registered | 34,690 | |||
| Independent hold on 1st iteration | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Te Upoko o te ika a Maui Māori regional constituency
| Affiliation | Candidate | Primary Vote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Shamia Makarini | Unopposed | |
| Registered | 26,624 | ||
| Independent win (new constituency) | |||
Māori constituency referendum
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to KEEP Māori constituencies | 109,644 | 58.36 | |
| I vote to REMOVE Māori constituencies | 63,029 | 33.55 | |
| Informal | 44 | 0.02 | |
| Blank | 15,155 | 8.17 | |
| Turnout | 187,872 | 46.79 | |
| Registered | 401,486 | ||
| Result: | Māori constituencies to be retained at next election. | ||
| Māori constituency referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Keep 109,644 (63.5%) |
Remove 63,029 (36.5%) |
| ▲ 50% | |
See also
- 2025 Wellington City Council election
- 2025 Porirua City Council election
- 2025 Upper Hutt City Council election
- 2025 Hutt City Council election
- 2025 Kāpiti Coast District Council election
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Greater Wellington Regional Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[16]
- ^ a b c Rounded to whole number
References
- ^ a b "Elections". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "STV Information". www.stv.govt.nz. Department of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Our role and activities". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "Māori constituency coming to Greater Wellington". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Hickman, Bill (26 October 2023). "Greater Wellington Regional Council approves Māori Constituency for 2025". RNZ. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Māori constituency affirmed by Greater Wellington; poll triggered". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Greater Wellington to vote on Māori ward in 2025 elections". RNZ. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Wellington election diary: Switching teams and switching biscuits". The Post. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Councillors". gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "League veteran and councillor Ken Laban to run for Lower Hutt mayor". rnz.co.nz. RNZ. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ O'Loughlin, Jane (30 April 2025). "Experienced line up for Lambton ward". The Local – Mt Victoria. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ "David Lee 4 Lambton". www.davidlee4lambton.com. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ Hunt, Tom (2 April 2025). "Greater Wellington Regional councillor Thomas Nash won't run again". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Determination of representation arrangements to apply for the election of the Greater Wellington Regional Council to be held on 11 October 2025" (PDF). www.lgc.govt.nz. Local Government Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2025 Triennial Elections | Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitono Pōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. p. 15. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b Wong, Justin (4 August 2025). "Almost half of Lower Hutt's councillors elected unopposed". The Post. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ^ "Sam Ferguson set to rep Kapiti at Regional Council". KC News – News from the Kāpiti Coast. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Record Candidates List for Kapiti Elections". KC News – News from the Kāpiti Coast. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ "Sam Ferguson for Kāpiti Coast General, Greater Wellington". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Bullying, Bolton and Bloxham ... mayoral race brings you the letter B". The Post. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tim (5 August 2025). "Phil Rhodes to Contest Regional Council Seat Covering Porirua, Tawa". Porirua News. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "Nigel Elder Selected as Candidate for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.actlocal.nz. ACT Local. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b Chen, Liu (18 August 2025). "The Asian candidates vying for a seat on regional councils". RNZ. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
- ^ Tupou, Gabriel (7 July 2025). "Gabriel Tupou standing for Regional Council" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Afemata, Mary (8 July 2025). "Gabriel Tupou pushes for Pacific voices in regional politics". Pacific Media Network. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ Free, Sarah (19 July 2025). "Sarah Free standing for regional council" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ Vance, Andrea (26 July 2025). "The fixer behind Sir Peter Jackson wants to help fix Wellington". The Post. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
- ^ a b Manera, Ethan (17 March 2025). "Labour Party extends nominations for Wellington Mayoral candidate". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Henry Peach for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ James, Nick (4 February 2025). "Are Wellington's council leaders running for the top jobs again this year?". RNZ. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Yadana Saw for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Cooper, Lucy (7 March 2025). "Alistair Plimmer throws hat in the regional ring". Wairarapa Times Age. The Post. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Ireland, Emily (10 July 2025). "Staples Eyes Up Unfinished Business In Re-election Bid". Scoop. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lampp, Warwick (18 October 2025). "Greater Wellington Regional Council – 2025 Triennial Elections – Declaration of Result" (PDF). ElectioNZ.