2025 Palmerston North City Council election

2025 Palmerston North City Council election
11 October 2025
Mayoral election
 
Candidate Grant Smith Orphée Mickalad Caleb Riddick
Affiliation Independent Independent Independent
Primary vote 15,124 5,310 2,427
Percentage 60.35% 21.10% 9.68%
Mayor before election

Grant Smith
Independent

Elected mayor

Grant Smith
Independent

Council election
15 seats on the Palmerston North City Council
8 seats needed for a majority
Party Seats +/–
Independent

11 +1
Green

2 0
Labour

1 0
Te Pāti Māori

1 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2025 Palmerston North City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Palmerston North, New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.

Voters elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Palmerston North City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.

Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.

The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election; in a referendum on its future held at this election (as part of a nation-wide series of referendums) voters elected to keep the Māori ward.

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 results were published that afternoon
  • 12 October 2025: Preliminary results were published
  • 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.[1][2]

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the city elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors in 2 wards. They also elected several members of the Horizons Regional Council.[a][2][3]

Campaign

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

  • Pat Handcock, councillor since 2019[4]

Mayor

Candidate[5] Affiliation[b] Notes
Orphée Mickalad Independent Councillor for the Te Hirawanui general ward since 2021.[7][8] Also ran for re-election as a councillor.
Michael Morris None Environmental scientist and vegan[9]
Caleb Riddick Independent Also ran for council in the general ward
Grant Smith Independent Incumbent mayor since 2015[10][8]

Councillors

Te Pūao Māori ward

Te Pūao Māori ward returned two councillors to the city council.[11]

Candidate[5] Affiliation[b] Notes
Rowland Prince Fitzgerald None Incumbent councillor since 2022[12][8]
Bonnie Kuru None
Debi Marshall-Lobb Te Pāti Māori Incumbent deputy mayor and councillor since 2022[12][8]

Te Hirawanui general ward

Te Hirawanui general ward returned thirteen councillors to the city council.[11]

Candidate[5] Affiliation[b] Notes
Wajeha Akbaryan Independent
Mark Arnott None Incumbent councillor[8]
Brent Barrett Green Incumbent councillor since 2016[13][8]
Rachel Bowen None Incumbent councillor[8]
Melanie Butler Independent Previously ran for council in 2022.[14]
Zulfiqar Butt Labour Former city councillor from 2019–2022[15]
Vaughan Dennison Independent Incumbent councillor since 2001[16][8]
Kayne John Dunlop None
Lew Findlay Independent Incumbent councillor[8]
Hayden Fitzgerald Independent
Mark Gunning Independent
Leonie Hapeta None Incumbent councillor[8]
Nelson Harper Independent Chief executive of Precycle NZ[17]
Jeremy Craig Hoskins None
Cameron Jenkins Independent
Lorna Johnson Labour Incumbent councillor since 2016[15][8]
Eric Judd Independent
Jack Koh None
Quintin McGregor None
Billy Meehan Independent Incumbent councillor[8]
Orphée Mickalad Independent Incumbent councillor.[8] Also ran for mayor.
Tobias Wilson Nash None
Karen Naylor Independent Incumbent councillor[8]
Adrian Phillips None
Eldhose Poovathumveettil Mathew Independent
Dave Poppelwell Independent Previously ran for council in 2013.[18] New Conservatives Party parliamentary candidate in 2020.[19]
Atif Rahim None Founder of hearing aid charity Hearing for Hope.[20] Previously ran for council in 2022.[14]
Caleb Riddick Independent Also ran for mayor
Zakk Rokkanno Independent Previously stood for council in 2022[14][21]
Dave Salisbury Independent
Michael Paul Strachan None
Jackie Wheeler Independent Organiser of Palmerston North Residents group.[22]
Glen Williams ACT Local Business owner[23][24]
Verne Wilson Independent
William George Wood None Incumbent councillor[8]
Richard Woolgar Independent
Kaydee Zabelin Green Incumbent councillor since 2022[13][8]

Results

With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:[25][26]

Mayor

Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.[27][28]

2025 Palmerston North mayoral election[29][30]
Affiliation Candidate Primary vote %
Independent Grant Smith† 15,124 60.35
Independent Orphée Mickalad 5,310 21.19
Independent Caleb Riddick 2,427 9.68
Independent Michael Morris 1,121 4.47
Quota 11,991 47.85
Informal 101 0.40
Blank 977 3.90
Turnout 25,060
Registered
Independent hold on 1st iteration
† incumbent

Council

Te Hirawanui general ward

Te Hirawanui general ward[29][31]
Affiliation Candidate Primary vote % Iteration vote[c]
Independent William Wood† 3,281 14.17 #1 3,281
Independent Mark Arnott† 1,481 6.40 #2 1,757
Independent Orphée Mickalad† 1,583 6.84 #2 1,716
Independent Karen Naylor† 1,136 4.91 #41 1,613
Independent Rachel Bowen† 1,169 5.05 #44 1,583
Independent Lew Findlay† 1,187 5.13 #48 1,604
Independent Vaughan Dennison† 1,023 4.42 #50 1,572
Green Brent Barrett† 1,196 5.16 #50 1,563
Independent Hayden Fitzgerald 645 2.79 #64 1,800
Labour Lorna Johnson† 1,096 4.73 #65 1,528
Independent Billy Meehan† 604 2.61 #66 1,571
Independent Leonie Hapeta† 578 2.50 #67 1,518
Green Kaydee Zabelin† 895 3.86 #80 1,492
Labour Zulfiqar Butt 837 3.61 #80 1,434
ACT Local Glen Williams 696 3.01 #63 1,201
Independent Jackie Wheeler 631 2.72 #56 1,051
Independent Mark Gunning 525 2.27 #47 795
Independent Caleb Riddick 512 2.21 #45 732
Independent Jeremy Hoskins 475 2.05 #42 584
Independent Verne Wilson 397 1.71 #40 530
Independent Nelson Harper 315 1.36 #38 438
Independent Wajeha Akbaryan 328 1.42 #36 422
Independent Richard Woolgar 226 0.98 #31 297
Independent Eldhose Poovathumveettil Mathew 201 0.87 #30 235
Independent Melanie Butler 150 0.65 #29 228
Independent Kayne Dunlop 183 0.79 #26 219
Independent Dave Salisbury 149 0.64 #22 204
Independent Tobias Nash 132 0.57 #20 175
Independent Cameron Jenkins 130 0.56 #19 141
Independent Dave Poppelwell 110 0.47 #18 134
Independent Quintin McGregor 115 0.50 #16 131
Independent Adrian Phillips 113 0.49 #13 121
Independent Eric Judd 90 0.39 #11 99
Independent Atif Rahim 93 0.40 #10 97
Independent Michael Strachan 90 0.39 #7 95
Independent Jack Koh 78 0.34 #4 84
Independent Zakk Rokkanno 9 0.04 #3 11
Quota 1,604 6.93 #80 1,490
Informal 477 2.06
Blank 222 0.96
Turnout 23,158
Registered
Independent hold on 1st iteration
Independent hold on 2nd iteration
Independent hold on 2nd iteration
Independent hold on 41st iteration
Independent hold on 44th iteration
Independent hold on 48th iteration
Independent hold on 50th iteration
Green hold on 50th iteration
Independent gain from Independent on 64th iteration
Labour hold on 65th iteration
Independent hold on 66th iteration
Independent hold on 67th iteration
Green hold on 80th iteration
† incumbent

Te Pūao Māori ward

Te Pūao Māori ward[29][32]
Affiliation Candidate Primary vote % Iteration vote[c]
Te Pāti Māori Debi Marshall-Lobb† 1,087 57.15 #1 1,087
Independent Bonnie Kuru 547 28.76 #2 803
Independent Roly Fitzgerald† 209 10.99 #2 209
Quota 614 32.28 #2 592
Informal 27 1.42
Blank 32 1.68
Turnout 1,902
Registered
Te Pāti Māori gain from Rangitāne o Manawatū on 1st iteration[d]
Independent gain from Rangitāne o Manawatū on 2nd iteration
† incumbent

Māori wards poll

ChoiceVotes%
I vote to KEEP Māori wards13,37355.51
I vote to REMOVE Māori wards10,71844.49
Total24,091100.00
Valid votes24,09196.13
Invalid/blank votes9693.87
Total votes25,060100.00
Source: [25]

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    • 4 members from the city.
    • 1 member partially from the city in the Tonga Māori constituency.
  2. ^ a b c 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. Palmerston North City Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[6]
  3. ^ a b Rounded to nearest whole number
  4. ^ Incumbent changed affiliation.

References

  1. ^ "2025 Elections". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Elections 2025". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  3. ^ "He Arotake Kanohitanga | Representation Review". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Pat Handcock bows out, rues 'unpleasant' state of local body politics". Manawatū Standard. The Post. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Your candidates". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  6. ^ "PUKA ARATOHU KAITONO 2025 | 2025 CANDIDATE INFORMATION HANDBOOK" (PDF). www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  7. ^ Rankin, Janine (17 May 2025). "Orphée Mickalad stands for Palmerston North mayoralty". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Elected members". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  9. ^ Morris, Michael (27 July 2025). "Dr Michael Morris, Mayoral Candidate For Papaioea (Palmerston North)" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  10. ^ Rankin, Janine (16 June 2025). "Grant Smith to stand for another term as mayor". The Post. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b "How we elect our Council". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b Rankin, Janine (1 July 2025). "Palmerston North's deputy mayor seeks re-election". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Greens back Barrett, Zabelin for re-election to city council". Manawatū Standard. 26 May 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Lacy, Judith (23 August 2022). "Who is backing the PNCC candidates?". Manawatū Guardian. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  15. ^ a b Rankin, Janine (24 February 2025). "Labour endorses Lorna Johnson, Zulfiqar Butt for local body election". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  16. ^ Rankin, Janine (5 July 2025). "Veteran councillor Vaughan Dennison stands again". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  17. ^ Rankin, Janine (2 July 2025). "Recycling technician Nelson Harper stands for city council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  18. ^ "Six in mayoral race". Stuff. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Tensions rise at Palmerston North election candidate meeting". Stuff. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  20. ^ Lacy, Judith (15 July 2022). "Three 'ears for donation milestone". Manawatū Guardian. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  21. ^ Carter, Ben (16 September 2022). "Local Focus: Zakk Rokkanno on Candidate Camera". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  22. ^ Janine Rankin (30 September 2024). "'You can't just complain': Residents group meeting seeks positive change". Stuff. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  23. ^ ACT New Zealand (22 July 2025). "Local Business Owner, Glen Williams, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For Palmerston North City Council" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  24. ^ Rankin, Janine (23 July 2023). "ACT Local names candidate for Palmerston North City Council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  25. ^ a b "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  26. ^ "2025 local elections results". www.pncc.govt.nz. Palmerston North City Council. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  27. ^ Rankin, Janine (11 October 2025). "Palmerston North votes for mayor Grant Smith and Māori wards". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  28. ^ Rankin, Janine (12 October 2025). "Smith leads a little-changed Palmerston North City Council". Manawatū Standard. The Post. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  29. ^ a b c "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). Palmerston North City Council. 17 October 2025.
  30. ^ "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF). Palmerston North City Council. 17 October 2025.
  31. ^ "Te Hirawanui general ward Iterations" (PDF). Palmerston North City Council. October 2025.
  32. ^ "Te Pūao Māori ward Iterations" (PDF). Palmerston North City Council. October 2025.
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