2025 Lower Hutt mayoral election
11 October 2025
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The 2025 Lower Hutt mayoral election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, as part of that year's council election and nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Lower Hutt for the 2025–2028 term. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used. The incumbent mayor Campbell Barry did not seek re-election.
Ken Laban was elected as mayor, becoming New Zealand's first Pasifika mayor.
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
Incumbent mayor Campbell Barry decided not to seek re-election for a third term as mayor.[3][4]
Candidates
| Candidate[5] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brady Dyer | Independent | Councillor for the at-large ward since 2019.[7][8] Also ran for re-election as a councillor. | ||
| Ken Laban | None | Greater Wellington regional councillor for the Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency since 2013[9][10][8] | ||
| Karen Morgan | Independent | Councillor since 2022, and former principal of Taita College[11][8] | ||
| Prabha Ravi | Independent | Founder and artistic director of Natraj School of Dance.[12][8] Also ran as a councillor for the at-large ward. | ||
Mayoral results
Sports commentator and former councillor Fauono Ken Laban was elected mayor, becoming New Zealand's first Pasifika mayor.[13]
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Ken Laban | 8,704 | 34.48 | |
| Independent | Brady Dyer | 6,974 | 27.63 | |
| Independent | Karen Morgan | 5,529 | 21.90 | |
| Independent | Prabha Ravi | 3,608 | 14.29 | |
| Informal | 77 | 0.31 | ||
| Blank | 349 | 1.38 | ||
| Turnout | 25,241 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent gain from Labour | ||||
Note
- ^ A candidate could leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Hutt City Council did not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[6]
References
- ^ "2025 Local Government Elections". www.huttcity.govt.nz. Hutt City Council. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Elections". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ^ "Lower Hutt mayor Campbell Barry calling it quits at next election". Radio New Zealand. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Ridout, Amy (10 April 2025). "Lower Hutt mayor won't stand for re-election". Stuff. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections | Hutt City Council". electionz.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook". hccpublicdocs.azurewebsites.net. Hutt City Council. p. 16. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (14 April 2025). "Lower Hutt councillor announces mayoral campaign". The Post. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d James, Nick (30 July 2025). "The contenders for mayor of Lower Hutt". RNZ. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ "League veteran and councillor Ken Laban to run for Lower Hutt mayor". RNZ. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Afemata, Mary (1 July 2025). "Fauono Ken Laban: First Pacific candidate for Lower Hutt city race". Pacific Media Network. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (13 March 2025). "Hutt City Councillor, former Taita College principal runs for mayor". The Post. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Wong, Justin (13 May 2025). "Indian dance school founder runs for Lower Hutt mayor". The Post. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ Afemata, Mary (12 October 2025). "Ken Laban makes history as first Pasifika mayor". Stuff. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Hutt City Council. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.