2025 Greater Wellington Regional Council election

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2025 Greater Wellington Regional Council election
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←  2022 11 October 20252028 →
Council election
14 seats on the Greater Wellington Regional Council
8 seats needed for a majority
PartySeats+/–
Independents 90
Labour 2+1
Green 2−1
ACT Local 1+1
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 nation-wide local elections. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used. [1] [2]

Contents

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

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

Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency

Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency will return one councillor to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Affiliation [a] Notes
Shamia MakariniNone

As the only candidate, Makarini is elected unopposed to be the inaugural Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency councillor. [17]

Kāpiti Coast constituency

The Kāpiti Coast constituency will return one councillor to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Sam Ferguson Sam Ferguson Photo (cropped).jpg NoneIncumbent Horizons Regional councillor. [18] [19] Green Party endorsed. [20]
Penny Gaylor Penny Gaylor (cropped).jpg NoneIncumbent councillor [9] [19]

Porirua-Tawa constituency

The Porirua-Tawa constituency will return two councillors to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Grenville Gaskell Independent
Daniel HicksIndependent
Claire JohnstoneIndependent
Phil RhodesNoneLand surveyor, and husband of Porirua mayor Anita Baker [21] [22]
Hikitia Ropata Hikitia Ropata (cropped).jpg IndependentIncumbent councillor [9]

Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt constituency

Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt constituency will return one councillor to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Ros Connelly Ros Connelly (cropped).jpg NoneIncumbent councillor [9]

As the only candidate, Connelly is re-elected unopposed. [17]

Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency

Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt constituency will return three councillors to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Quentin Duthie Quentin Duthie (cropped).jpg Green Incumbent councillor [9]
Nigel Elder Nigel Elder 2020 (cropped).jpg ACT Local Business owner and former New Zealand Defence Force serviceman [23]
Omar FaruqueIndependent [24]
Mike FisherIndependentFormer chair of the Petone community board
Tom MurphyIndependent
Matt ShandNone
Mike StevensonIndependent
Gabriel Tupou Gabriel Tupou 2023 (cropped).jpg IndependentIncumbent Hutt City councillor [25] [26]

Pōneke/Wellington constituency

The Pōneke/Wellington constituency will return five councillors to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Sarah Free Sarah Free.jpg IndependentIncumbent Wellington city councillor for the Motukairangi/Eastern ward since 2013 [27]
Glenda Hughes Glenda Hughes (cropped).jpg Independent Former CouncillorFormer regional councillor [28]
Alice Claire Hurdle ACT Local
Tom James Labour [29]
Tom KayIndependent
Mark KelynackIndependent
Belinda McFadgenNone
Henry Peach Green [30]
Daran Ponter Daran Ponter (cropped).jpg LabourIncumbent councillor and council chair [29] [31] [9]
Yadana Saw Yadana Saw (cropped).jpg GreenIncumbent councillor [32] [9] [24]
Simon Woolf Simon Woolf (cropped).jpg IndependentIncumbent councillor [9]

Wairarapa constituency

The Wairarapa constituency will return one councillor to the regional council. [14]

Candidate [15] Photo Affiliation [a] Notes
Alistair PlimmerNoneIncumbent South Wairarapa District councillor [33]
Adrienne Staples Adrienne Staples (cropped).jpg IndependentIncumbent councillor since 2016 [34] [9]

Results

With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected: [35]

Summary

WardPreviousElected
Kāpiti CoastPenny GaylorPenny Gaylor
Porirua-TawaHikitia RopataPhil Rhodes
Chris Kirk-BurnnandClaire Johnstone
Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper HuttRos ConnellyRos Connelly
Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower HuttQuentin DuthieQuentin Duthie
Ken Laban Gabiel Tupou
David BassettNigel Elder
Pōneke/WellingtonSimon WoolfSimon Woolf
Daran Ponter Daran Ponter
Yadana SawYadana Saw
Thomas NashTom James
David LeeSarah Free
Wairarapa Adrienne Staples Adrienne Staples
Te Upoko o te ika a Maui Māorinew seatShamia Makarini

Kāpiti Coast regional constituency

Kāpiti Coast general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary vote%
Independent Penny Gaylor†9,30648.71
Independent Sam Ferguson8,09642.38
Informal220.12
Blank1,6808.79
Turnout19,10446.47
Registered41,109
Independent hold on 1st iteration
† incumbent

Porirua-Tawa regional constituency

Porirua-Tawa general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary vote%Final vote [b] %
Independent Phil Rhodes5,43726.575,91328.89
Independent Claire Johnstone4,18420.446,19330.26
Independent Hikitia Ropata†4,29020.965,11524.99
Independent Grenville Gaskell3,14515.37
Independent Daniel Hicks1,4707.18
Informal1000.49
Blank1,8398.99
Turnout20,46541.76
Registered49,012
Independent gain Independent on 3rd iteration
Independent gain Independent on 4th iteration
† incumbent

Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt regional constituency

Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta/Upper Hutt general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary Vote
Independent Ros Connelly†unopposed
Registered31,681
Independent hold
† incumbent

Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt regional constituency

Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai/Lower Hutt general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary vote%Final vote [b] %
Green Quentin Duthie†7,67625.406,73722.30
Independent Gabriel Tupou5,90619.557,06123.37
ACT Local Nigel Elder5,37817.806,95123.00
Independent Mike Fisher2,1687.184,53715.02
Independent Mike Stevenson2,2907.58
Independent Matt Shand1,2584.16
Independent Omar Faruque1,2174.03
Independent Tom Murphy1,0663.53
Informal8802.91
Blank2,3777.87
Turnout30,21641.67
Registered72,515
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

Pōneke/Wellington general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary vote%Final vote [b] %
Independent Simon Woolf†11,55215.7011,05815.03
Labour Daran Ponter †11,12515.1211,35715.44
Green Yadana Saw†10,40114.1411,07715.06
Labour Tom James6,4218.7311,82916.08
Independent Sarah Free6,8469.3111,16015.17
ACT Local Alice Hurdle6,2648.528,20611.16
Independent Tom Kay3,9415.36
Independent Glenda Hughes4,5126.13
Green Henry Peach4,2545.78
Independent Belinda McFadgen3,1924.34
Independent Mark Kelynack1,2971.76
Informal3870.53
Blank3,3684.58
Turnout73,56050.43
Registered145,855
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

Wairarapa general constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary vote%
Independent Adrienne Staples †8,87549.17
Independent Alistair Plimmer7,46141.33
Informal180.10
Blank1,6979.40
Turnout18,05152.04
Registered34,690
Independent hold on 1st iteration
† incumbent

Te Upoko o te ika a Maui Māori regional constituency

Te Upoko o te ika a Māui Māori constituency [36]
AffiliationCandidatePrimary Vote
Independent Shamia Makariniunopposed
Registered26,624
Independent win (new constituency)

Māori constituency referendum

Referendum on Māori constituencies [36]
ChoiceVotes%
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg I vote to KEEP Māori constituencies109,64458.36
Light brown x.svg I vote to REMOVE Māori constituencies63,02933.55
Informal440.02
Blank15,1558.17
Turnout187,87246.79
Registered401,486
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

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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]
  2. 1 2 3 Rounded to whole number

References

  1. 1 2 "Elections". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "STV Information". www.stv.govt.nz. Department of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original on 5 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Our role and activities". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council . Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Māori constituency coming to Greater Wellington". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Hickman, Bill (26 October 2023). "Greater Wellington Regional Council approves Māori Constituency for 2025". RNZ . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Māori constituency affirmed by Greater Wellington; poll triggered". www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Greater Wellington to vote on Māori ward in 2025 elections". RNZ . 27 August 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ↑ "Wellington election diary: Switching teams and switching biscuits". The Post. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Councillors". gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "League veteran and councillor Ken Laban to run for Lower Hutt mayor". rnz.co.nz. RNZ. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  11. ↑ O'Loughlin, Jane (30 April 2025). "Experienced line up for Lambton ward". The Local – Mt Victoria. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "David Lee 4 Lambton". www.davidlee4lambton.com. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Hunt, Tom (2 April 2025). "Greater Wellington Regional councillor Thomas Nash won't run again". www.thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "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.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2025 Triennial Elections | Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitono Pōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.gw.govt.nz. Greater Wellington Regional Council. p. 15. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  17. 1 2 Wong, Justin (4 August 2025). "Almost half of Lower Hutt's councillors elected unopposed". The Post. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "Sam Ferguson set to rep Kapiti at Regional Council". KC News – News from the Kāpiti Coast. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Record Candidates List for Kapiti Elections". KC News – News from the Kāpiti Coast. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Sam Ferguson for Kāpiti Coast General, Greater Wellington". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "Bullying, Bolton and Bloxham ... mayoral race brings you the letter B". The Post. 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  22. ↑ Wilson, Tim (5 August 2025). "Phil Rhodes to Contest Regional Council Seat Covering Porirua, Tawa". Porirua News. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  23. ↑ "Nigel Elder Selected as Candidate for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.actlocal.nz. ACT Local . Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  24. 1 2 Chen, Liu (18 August 2025). "The Asian candidates vying for a seat on regional councils". RNZ . Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  25. ↑ Tupou, Gabriel (7 July 2025). "Gabriel Tupou standing for Regional Council" (Press release). Scoop. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  26. ↑ Afemata, Mary (8 July 2025). "Gabriel Tupou pushes for Pacific voices in regional politics". Pacific Media Network . Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  27. ↑ Free, Sarah (19 July 2025). "Sarah Free standing for regional council" (Press release). Scoop . Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  28. ↑ Vance, Andrea (26 July 2025). "The fixer behind Sir Peter Jackson wants to help fix Wellington". The Post. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
  29. 1 2 Manera, Ethan (17 March 2025). "Labour Party extends nominations for Wellington Mayoral candidate". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  30. ↑ "Henry Peach for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  31. ↑ James, Nick (4 February 2025). "Are Wellington's council leaders running for the top jobs again this year?". RNZ . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  32. ↑ "Yadana Saw for Greater Wellington Regional Council". www.greens.org.nz. Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand . Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  33. ↑ Cooper, Lucy (7 March 2025). "Alistair Plimmer throws hat in the regional ring". Wairarapa Times Age . The Post. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  34. ↑ Ireland, Emily (10 July 2025). "Staples Eyes Up Unfinished Business In Re-election Bid". Scoop . Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  35. ↑ "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Greater Wellington Regional Council . Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lampp, Warwick (18 October 2025). "Greater Wellington Regional Council – 2025 Triennial Elections – Declaration of Result" (PDF). ElectioNZ.
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