2025 Invercargill City Council election

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2025 Invercargill City Council election
Invercargill CoA (shield only).svg
 202211 October 20252028 
Mayoral election

Mayor before election

Nobby Clark
LETS GO Invercargill

Elected mayor

TBD

Council election

12 seats on the Invercargill City Council
7 seats needed for a majority
PartySeats+/–
to be determined 12
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
2025 Invercargill City Council election - Popular vote share of elected councillors by ward.svg

The 2025 Invercargill City Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in Invercargill, New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of Invercargill, 12 city councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the Invercargill City Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system will be used.

Contents

Key dates

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the city will elect the mayor of Invercargill, 12 city councillors at-large, the members of the Bluff Community Board, and the members of the Invercargill Licensing Trust. [3] They will also elect six members of Environment Southland. [2]

Campaign

Debates

A mayoral candidates debate hosted by broadcaster Duncan Garner was held at the Ascot Park Hotel. Candidates participating in the debate included Alex Crackett, Ian Pottinger, Ria Bond, Tom Campbell, Steve Chernishov, Tom Morton, and Andrew Clark. The debate covered a range of topics including boosting the local economy and infrastructure. Mayoral candidate Gordon McCrone was excluded by the organiser due to his connection to a controversial website. [4]

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

Mayor

Candidate [8] Affiliation [a] Notes
Ria Bond Independent Councillor since 2022. [10] Also running for re-election as a councillor. [11] [6]
Tom CampbellNoneDeputy mayor since 2022 [5] [12] [10]
Stevey ChernishovNoneBrand developer. Previously ran for mayor in 2022. [13] [14]
Andrew ClarkNoneBrother of incumbent mayor Nobby Clark. Also running for mayor in the Tasman District under the name Maxwell Clark. [15] [16]
Alex CrackettIndependentCouncillor since 2016. [17] [12] [5] Also running for re-election as a councillor.
Gordon McCroneAdvanced Task Force Political Party [18]
Tom MortonIndependentPreviously ran for mayor in 2022. [19] Also running for council. [11]
Ian PottingerNoneCouncillor since 2010. [5] [12] Also running for council.

Withdrawn

  • Lynley McKerrow, former Invercargill town crier, had announced her intention to run for the mayoralty in June. [20] She withdrew her candidacy for mayor in July, citing not wanting to split the vote, and indicated she would instead just run as a councillor. [21] [22]

Council

Twelve councillors will be elected at-large to the city council. [3]

Candidate [8] Affiliation [a] Notes
Allan ArnoldNoneIncumbent councillor since 2016 [23] [10]
Ria Bond IndependentIncumbent councillor since 2022. [10] Also running for mayor. [11]
Trish BoyleIntegrity, IndependenceIncumbent councillor since 2022 [7] [10]
Steve Broad NoneIncumbent councillor since 2023 [7] [10]
Jay CooteIndependent
Pania CooteConsumer AdvocateIncumbent mana whenua representative for Te Rūnanga o Awarua [24] [25]
Alex CrackettIndependentIncumbent councillor. [10] Also running for mayor.
Chris DawsonNone
Grant DermodyNoneIncumbent councillor since 2022 [7] [10]
Andrea de VriesNone
Carl HeenanNonePreviously ran in the 2023 council by-election [26]
Karl HermanNonePreviously ran for council in 2022 [27]
Carol (CJ) JasperseNone
Terry KingAdvocate and Lobbyist for Invercargill
Amanda LaurieNone
Darren LudlowNoneIncumbent councillor [7] [10]
Marcus Lush NoneBroadcaster and former councillor (2021-2022) [28]
Lynley McKerrowNoneFormer Invercargill town crier [22]
David MeadesIndependentPreviously ran in the 2023 council by-election [26]
Tom MortonIndependentAlso running for mayor
Dan O'ConnellNone
Noel PetersonIndependent- Serving CommunityPreviously ran for council in 2022 [29]
Ian PottingerNoneIncumbent councillor since 2010. [10] Also running for mayor.
Ian ReevesNonePreviously ran in the 2023 council by-election [26]
Barry StewartNoneIncumbent councillor [7] [10]
Lisa Tou-McNaughtonPositivity, Partnership and ProgressPreviously ran in the 2023 council by-election [26]
Tony van der LemNone

Notes

  1. 1 2 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. Invercargill City Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation. [9]

References

  1. "2025 Elections". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council . Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Elections". www.es.govt.nz. Environment Southland . Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Stand for Council". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council . Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  4. Rosenberg, Matthew (20 August 2025). "Visions for city shared". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fallow, Michael (10 March 2025). "Ian Pottinger to run for Invercargill mayoralty". The Southland Times . The Press. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  6. 1 2 Rosenberg, Matthew (17 June 2025). "Nobby rules out return; another councillor joins race". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rosenberg, Matthew (8 July 2025). "Invercargill losing long-serving councillors". Otago Daily Times.
  8. 1 2 "2025 Triennial Elections | Invercargill City Council". www.electionz.com. electionz.com. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  9. "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. p. 14. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Mayor and Councillors". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council . Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "'My word is my Bond': Invercargill councillor Ria Bond seeks mayoralty". The Press. 10 June 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 Girao, Luisa (11 March 2025). "Councillor tees off his mayoralty bid". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  13. Fallow, Michael (27 July 2025). "Familiar faces still dominate south's local election nominations". The Southland Times . The Press . Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  14. Jamieson, Debbie (19 August 2022). "Candidate running for three councils say he's an anthropologist, not a conspiracy theorist". Stuff. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  15. "Nobby Clark not impressed by brother's surprise mayoral bid". Stuff . 1 August 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  16. Fallow, Michael (1 August 2025). "Nobby Clark's brother standing for Invercargill and Tasman mayoralties". The Southland Times . The Press . Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  17. "Crackett announces bid for Invercargill mayoralty". southlandapp.nz. The Southland App Advocate Communications. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  18. "Concerns raised over mayoral candidate's disturbing online content". The Southland Tribune. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  19. Savory, Logan (1 August 2022). "Sixty-year-old 'TikToker' Tom Morton after Invercargill mayor's job". Stuff. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  20. "Town crier eyes city's mayoral chains". Otago Daily Times . 11 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  21. Savory, Logan (10 July 2025). "Town crier opts out of Invercargill mayoral race". The Southland Tribune. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  22. 1 2 Fallow, Michael (16 July 2025). "McKerrow steps aside from Invercargill mayoral race". The Southland Times . The Press . Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  23. Wilson, Aimee (15 July 2025). "Pre-election Q+A with Allan Arnold". What's On Invers. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  24. "Mana whenua representatives". www.icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council . Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  25. Rosenberg, Matthew (2 August 2025). "Rep aims for full council role". Otago Daily Times . Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Fallow, Michael (8 June 2023). "Asha Dutt steps forward to join crowded contest for ICC by-election". Stuff. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  27. "Questions put to Invercargill City Council candidates". Otago Daily Times . 1 September 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  28. Savory, Logan (1 August 2025). "Marcus Lush back in council election mix". The Southland Tribune. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  29. Rosenberg, Matthew (7 December 2024). "Invercargill wizard feels city rejected him". RNZ . Retrieved 24 July 2025.