2025 New Plymouth District Council election Last updated October 28, 2025 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] [ 3] Background This section
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List of candidates Incumbents not seeking re-election Mayor Candidate [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes Sam Bennett Independent Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022 . Incumbent councillor for the at-large ward. [ 12] [ 13] Also running for re-election as a councillor. Max Brough Independent Incumbent at-large councillor. [ 13] Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2019 . [ 14] David Bublitz Independent Incumbent deputy mayor and Kaitake-Ngāmotu general ward councillor. [ 13] [ 15] Also running to be a councillor for the at-large ward. Graham Chard None Incumbent chair of the Kaitake Community Board. [ 16] Also running to be a councillor for the Kaitake Ngāmotu ward. Sarah Lucas None Inglewood community board member. [ 17] Also running to be a councillor for the Kōhanga Moa general ward. Greg Mackay None Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2019 and 2022. [ 18] Also running as a councillor in the at-large ward. Peter Marra None Also running as a councillor in the Kaitake-Ngāmotu general ward Bill Simpson None Also running to be a councillor for the North general ward John Woodward Independent Former police officer. Also running to be a councillor for the at-large ward. [ 19]
Withdrawn Murray Chong, incumbent councillor for the Kaitake-Ngāmotu ward, [ 13] had indicated in May that he would run for the mayoralty, [ 20] but is instead just running for re-election as a councillor. [ 21] Murray "Mullet Muzz" McDowell, had previously indicated that he would run for the mayoralty, [ 12] but is instead just running to be elected as a councillor for the Kaitake-Ngāmotu ward. [ 21] Councillors Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa Māori ward will return one councillor to the district council. [ 2]
Candidate [ 22] [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes Te Waka McLeod None Incumbent councillor since 2022 [ 23] Peter Moeahu None Taranaki iwi representative and father of councillor Dinnie Moeahu [ 24] [ 23]
Kaitake-Ngāmotu general ward will return six councillors to the district council. [ 2]
Candidate [ 22] [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes EJ Barrett None Disabilities advocate [ 21] Gordon Brown Independent Incumbent councillor since 2013 , [ 13] and former journalist. [ 21] Running again after initially indicating that he would not run for re-election. [ 5] [ 25] [ 26] [ 21] Peter Buis None Graham Chard None Incumbent chair of the Kaitake Community Board. [ 16] Also running for mayor. [ 21] Ewen Darling None Damon Fox ACT Local Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) clinician [ 27] Moira Irving George None Former Taranaki Regional councillor [ 28] Ross Johnston None Lani Mackie-Hunt None [ 21] Peter Marra None Also running for mayor Mullet Muzz McDowell None Former truck and trailor operator. Previously ran for the mayoralty in 2022. [ 12] [ 21] Michael Morresey None Known as the "Flag Man". Chairperson of Hope Walk New Plymouth/Taranaki Charitable Trust. [ 21] Michael Paul O'Sullivan Independent David Payne None Adrian Sole None Craig Tonkin None Nikki Truman None Bryan Vickery None Incumbent councillor, [ 13] and former broadcaster [ 21] Kerry Vosseler None Former owner of Chaos Cafe [ 21]
Kōhanga Moa general ward will return one councillor to the district council. [ 2]
Candidate [ 22] [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes Jeremy Brooking None Christine Fabish None Incumbent chairperson of the Inglewood community board [ 16] Sarah Lucas None Incumbent member of the Inglewood community board. [ 16] Also running for mayor.
North general ward North general ward will return one councillor to the district council. [ 2]
Candidate [ 22] [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes Gina Alicia Blackburn None Ian Cummings Independent Dayna Brent Jury None Jonathan Marshall Independent Incumbent chair of the Waitara community board [ 16] Jane Parker-Bishop None Incumbent deputy chairperson of the Waitara community board [ 16] Bill Simpson None Previously ran for council in 2022. [ 29] Also running for mayor.
At-large ward Five councillors will be elected at-large to the district council. [ 2]
Candidate [ 22] [ 10] Affiliation [ b] Notes Sam Bennett Independent Incumbent councillor. [ 13] Also running for mayor. [ 12] David Bublitz Independent Incumbent deputy mayor and councillor. [ 13] Also running for mayor. Simon Chadwick None Murray Chong None Incumbent councillor. [ 13] Shaun Clare None Amanda Clinton-Gohdes None Incumbent councillor [ 13] Mark Coster Independent Steve Francis None Teresa Goodin None Tina Koch None Debbie Hancock Independent Nigel Jones None Greg Mackay None Also running for mayor Dinnie Moeahu None Incumbent councillor [ 13] Sarah Sutherland None Wayne Williamson None John Woodward Independent Former police officer. Also running for mayor [ 19]
Results Overall turnout in the election was just over 46%, with 28,625 voting papers returned, up from 45.1% in the 2022 election. [ 30]
With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected: [ 31] [ 32]
Summary Ward Previous Elected Mayor Neil Holdom Max Brough At-large ward Sam Bennett Murray Chong Max Brough David Bublitz Amanda Clinton-Gohdes John Woodward Harry Duynhoven Sam Bennet Dinnie Moeahu Dinnie Moeahu Kaitake-Ngāmotu General Ward David Bublitz Gordon Brown Gordon Brown Graham Chard Anneka Carlson Moira Irving George Murray Chong Damon Fox Bali Haque Kerry Vosseler Bryan Vickery EJ Barrett Te Purutanga Mauri Pūmanawa (Māori Ward) Te Waka Mcleod Te Waka McLeod Kōhanga Moa General Ward Marie Pearce Christine Fabish North Ward Tony Bedford Gina Blackburn
Mayor Councillor Max Brough won the mayoralty in a landslide. [ 33] [ 34]
Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status Independent Max Brough 7 13,022 13,984 elected Independent David Bublitz 7 13,022 6,296 excluded (seat filled) None Sarah Lucas 7 13,022 5,763 excluded (seat filled) Independent Sam Bennett 6 13,432 2,676 excluded (least votes) Independent John Woodward 5 13,718 1,978 excluded (least votes) None Graham Chard 4 13,912 1,496 excluded (least votes) None Peter Marra 3 14,019 837 excluded (least votes) None Greg Mackay 2 14,062 395 excluded (least votes) None Bill Simpson 1 14,108 287 excluded (least votes) Informal 61 Blank 348 Turnout 28,625
At-large ward Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status None Murray Chong 1 4627.16 9566 elected Independent David Bublitz 1 4627.16 4743 elected Independent John Woodward 22 4075.00 4701.52 elected Independent Sam Bennett 23 3993.80 4182.58 elected None Dinnie Moeahu 27 3901.87 3914.61 elected None Amanda Clinton-Gohdes 27 3901.87 3780.86 excluded (seats filled) Independent Mark Coster 21 4259.78 1893.32 excluded (least votes) None Simon Chadwick 20 4317.09 1210.14 excluded (least votes) None Teresa Goodin 19 4365.21 1010.86 excluded (least votes) Independent Debbie Hancock 17 4401.90 910.68 excluded (least votes) None Greg Mackay 15 4432.13 849.59 excluded (least votes) None Sarah Ruth Sutherland 11 4451.07 762.20 excluded (least votes) None Steve Francis 9 4461.07 589.00 excluded (least votes) None Shaun Clare 8 4469.45 519.00 excluded (least votes) None Tina Koch 6 4483.51 373.66 excluded (least votes) None Wayne Williamson 5 4487.85 354.49 excluded (least votes) None Nigel Jones 3 4491.58 122.31 excluded (least votes) Informal 329 Blank 533 Turnout 28,625
Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status Independent Gordon Travis Brown 1 2534.71 2832 elected None Graham Chard 10 2481.01 2523.40 elected None Moira Irving George 18 2378.82 2555.43 elected ACT Local Damon Fox 18 2378.82 2479.57 elected None Kerry Vosseler 19 2364.18 2389.59 elected None EJ Barrett 21 2347.36 2365.29 elected None Bryan Vickery 21 2347.36 2159.72 excluded (seats filled) None Adrian Sole 17 2419.73 1393.68 excluded (least votes) None Peter Marra 16 2438.84 778.80 excluded (least votes) None Ewen Darling 15 2453.47 681.41 excluded (least votes) None Ross Johnston 13 2468.80 634.22 excluded (least votes) None Nikki Truman 11 2479.91 544.19 excluded (least votes) None Mullet Muzz McDowell 9 2505.45 478.14 excluded (least votes) None Pete Buis 8 2509.36 442.22 excluded (least votes) None Lani Mackie-Hunt 7 2517.28 384.82 excluded (least votes) None David Payne 6 2523.18 340.53 excluded (least votes) None Craig Tonkin 5 2526.73 224.00 excluded (least votes) Independent Michael Paul O'Sullican 4 2530.03 213.19 excluded (least votes) None Mike Morresey 2 2532.31 117.30 excluded (least votes) Informal 1296 Blank 1247 Turnout 20,286
Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status None Christine Joy Fabish 2 1482 1542 elected None Sarah Lucas 2 1422 2159.72 excluded (seats filled) None Jeremy Brooking 1 1595 501 excluded (least votes) Informal 19 Blank 327 Turnout 3,535
North general ward Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status None Gina Alicia Blackburn 5 1017 1115 elected Independent Ian Cummings 5 1017 918 excluded (seats filled) Independent Jonathan Marshall 4 1222 719 excluded (least votes) None Dayna Brent Jury 3 1342 548 excluded (least votes) None Jane Elizabeth Parker-Bishop 2 1398 337 excluded (least votes) None Bill Simpson 1 1434 145 excluded (least votes) Informal 16 Blank 190 Turnout 3,073
Affiliation Candidate Iteration Iteration quota Votes received Status None Te Waka McLeod 1 831 1116 elected None Peter Moeahu 1 831 545 excluded (seat filled) Informal 8 Blank 62 Turnout 1,731
Choice Votes % I vote to REMOVE the Māori ward 15,004 55.47 I vote to KEEP the Māori ward 12,046 44.53 Total 27,050 100.00 Valid votes 27,050 94.50 Invalid/blank votes 1,575 5.50 Total votes 28,625 100.00 Source: [ 31]
Notes ↑ 5 members from the district in the New Plymouth general constituency 2 members from the district in the North Taranaki general constituency 1 member partially from the district in the Taranaki Māori constituency. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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 . New Plymouth District Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation. [ 11] References ↑ "TIMETABLE | WĀTAKA" (PDF) . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "FACT SHEET | WHĀRANGI MEKA" (PDF) . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . ↑ "Elections timeline" . www.trc.govt.nz . Taranaki Regional Council . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions – local elections" . www.trc.govt.nz . Taranaki Regional Council . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 McLean, Glenn (29 April 2025). "List of councillors not standing grows around NPDC table" . Taranaki Daily News . Retrieved 29 April 2025 . ↑ Groenestein, Catherine (21 October 2019). "New councillor wins seat on New Plymouth District Council by a three-vote margin" . Taranaki Daily News . Retrieved 12 May 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (16 July 2025). "Harry Duynhoven calls time on political career" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 17 July 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (30 July 2025). "New Plymouth mayor to retire from politics in October" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 30 July 2025 . ↑ Harvey, Helen (31 December 2024). "Recognition for a small town's champion" . Taranaki Daily News . Retrieved 12 May 2025 . (subscription required) 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NOTICE OF DAY OF ELECTION AND POLL FOR THE NEW PLYMOUTH DISTRICT COUNCIL" (PDF) . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 7 August 2025 . ↑ "2025 CANDIDATE INFORMATION HANDBOOK" (PDF) . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025 . 1 2 3 4 Johnston, Will (1 March 2025). "Bennett first to put hand up for New Plymouth mayoralty" . Taranaki Daily News . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Mayor and councillors" . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 18 April 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (28 June 2025). "Brough makes second bid for New Plymouth mayoralty" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 28 June 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (1 August 2025). "Bublitz grabs at chance to move up from being deputy" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 2 August 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Community board members" . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 11 July 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (20 June 2025). "Add the name Sarah Lucas to the New Plymouth mayoralty race" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 20 June 2025 . ↑ "No female candidate for New Plymouth mayoral elections" . RNZ . 17 August 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2025 . 1 2 McLean, Glenn (20 June 2025). "Mayoral candidate wants better council communication" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 18 July 2025 . ↑ MacLean, Glenn (14 May 2025). "Another crack at New Plymouth mayoralty for Murray Chong" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 14 May 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Martin, Robin (4 August 2025). "Colourful characters go head-to-head for seat on New Plymouth council" . RNZ . Retrieved 5 August 2025 . 1 2 3 4 5 "Candidates" . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 2 August 2025 . 1 2 Ashworth, Craig (6 July 2025). "Shaky seat to vote future vs history" . Te Ao Māori News . Retrieved 6 July 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn. "Moeahu Sr to stand for New Plymouth council" . The Post . Retrieved 8 May 2025 . ↑ Martin, Robin (8 October 2024). "Taranaki 'unitary council' a 'no-brainer', councillor says" . Radio New Zealand . Retrieved 12 May 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (2 August 2025). "NPDC nominations close: Brown has late change of heart" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 2 August 2025 . ↑ ACT New Zealand (25 June 2025). "Local Addictions Clinician, Damon Fox, Selected As ACT Local Candidate For New Plymouth District Council Election" . www.scoop.co.nz . Scoop. Retrieved 25 June 2025 . ↑ George, Moira (9 July 2025). " (Press release). Scoop . Retrieved 11 July 2025 . ↑ Smith, Blanton (7 October 2022). "The council candidate who can't vote for himself" . Stuff . Retrieved 30 July 2025 . ↑ "NPDC voter turnout bucks national trend as final results released" . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . 17 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025 . 1 2 "LGE2025 - Final" (PDF) . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 27 October 2025 . ↑ "Results (2025)" . www.npdc.govt.nz . New Plymouth District Council . Retrieved 27 October 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (11 October 2025). "Max Brough elected mayor of New Plymouth in landslide victory" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 27 October 2025 . ↑ McLean, Glenn (20 October 2025). "Final Taranaki local body election results declared" . Taranaki Daily News . The Post. Retrieved 27 October 2025 .
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