2025 Whanganui District Council election

2025 Whanganui District Council election

←  2022 11 October 2025 2028 →

Mayoral election

Mayor before election Andrew Tripe Independent Elected mayor Andrew Tripe Independent

Council election

12 seats on the Whanganui District Council 7 seats needed for a majority

Party Seats +/– to be determined 12 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2025 Whanganui District Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in the Whanganui District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Whanganui, 12 district councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the Whanganui District Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.

The council voted to introduce a Māori ward at this election; its future was decided in a referendum on the issue, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums.

Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term.

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 will be published
• 16–19 October 2025: Final results will be declared. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the district will elect the mayor of Whanganui, 12 councillors in 2 wards, and the members of the Rural Community Board. ^{[a] [3]} They will also elect members of the Horizons Regional Council. ^{[b] [2] [4]}

Campaign

Mayor

In early October, incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe drew controversy when he attended a candlelit vigil for American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, following said activist's assassination. Tripe said he regretted his comments at the vigil, saying he "naïvely" went to the event after being invited and that he did not know that Kirk was a divisive figure. He was quoted as saying that "Charlie Kirk shed his blood for us" and that "it is our call to act on what Charlie Kirk was doing, boldly." ^[5]

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

• Charlie Anderson, councillor since 2013 ^[6]
• Helen Craig, deputy mayor and councillor since 2013. ^[6]
• Jenny Duncan, councillor since 2013 ^[7]

Mayor

Candidate [8]	Photo	Affiliation [c]		Notes
Josh Chandulal-Mackay			A New Generation of Leadership	Councillor since 2016. [10] Also running for re-election as a councillor in the general ward.
Gregory McPhee			None	Also running to be a councillor in the general ward
Peter Oskam			Community before Coin	Councillor since 2022. [6] [11] Also running for re-election as a councillor in the general ward.
Andrew Tripe			Let's keep Whanganui moving forward	Mayor since 2022 [6] [12]

Councillors

Whanganui Māori ward

Whanganui Māori ward will return two councillors to the district council. ^{[3] [13]}

Candidate [8]	Affiliation [c]		Notes
Kiritahi Firmin		Independent
Julie Herewini		None
Geoff Hipango		None
Hayden Potaka		Independent
Phil T Reweti (Bear)		None

Whanganui General ward

Whanganui General ward will return ten councillors to the district council. ^{[3] [13]}

Candidate [8]	Affiliation [c]		Notes
Philippa Baker-Hogan		Ratepayer & Sport focused	Incumbent councillor [14]
Jason Bardell		Back to Basics
Glenda Brown		Independent	Councillor since 2022 [6] [14]
Josh Chandulal-Mackay		A New Generation of Leadership	Incumbent councillor since 2016. [10] Also running for mayor.
Julian Emmett		None
Ross Fallen		Independent	Councillor since 2022 [6] [14]
Awhi Haenga		None	Green endorsed [15]
Mike Hos		A voice for our city's future
Tracey Jarman		Rates & Community focused
Kate Joblin		Independent	Councillor since 2016 [6] [14]
Sandra Isobel Kyle		Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa NZ	[16]
Michael Law		Whanganui First	Councillor since 2022 [6] [14]
Gregory McPhee		None	Also running for mayor
Charlotte Melser		Independent	Councillor since 2022 [6] [14]
Michael Organ		Whanganui First	Subject of the David Farrier documentary Mister Organ [17]
Rob Oscroft		Focus Whanganui
Peter Oskam		Community before Coin	Also standing for mayor. Councillor since 2022. [6] [14]
Scott Phillips		Every cent counts, every voice matters
Jay Rerekura		None
Tony Sundman		None
Rob Vinsen		Ratepayer focused	Councillor since 2008 [6] [14]
Robin Westley		Independent
Azian Z.		Real solutions for Whanganui

Results

Note: The section below shows the preliminary results. ^[18] Confirmed results are expected to be released during the week ending Sunday, 19th October.

Mayor

Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term. ^[19]

Affiliation		Candidate	Votes	%
	Let’s keep Whanganui moving forward	Andrew Tripe	8,871	54.2%
	A New Generation of Leadership	Josh Chandulal-Mackay	5,013	30.6%
	Community before Coin	Peter Oskam	1,824	11.1%
	None	Gregory McPhee	279	1.7%
Informal			23	0.1%
Blank			357	2.2%
Majority			3,858	23.6%
Turnout			16,367

Council

Whanganui General Ward

Affiliation		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Michael Law	8,711
	A New Generation of Leadership	Josh Chandulal-Mackay	8,404
	Independent	Kate Joblin	8,358
	Ratepayer Focused	Rob Vinsen	7,983
	Independent	Charlotte Melser	7,497
	Independent	Glenda Brown	6,921
	Ratepayer & Sport Focused	Phillipa Baker-Hogan	6,627
	A voice for our city's future	Mike Hos	5,842
	Community before Coin	Peter Oskam	5,842
	Independent	Ross Fallen	5,685
	Focus Whanganui	Rob Oscroft	5,115
	None	Jay Rerekura	4,928
	Rates & Community Focused	Tracey Jarman	3,770
	Back to Basics	Jason Bardell	3,755
	Every cent counts, every voice matters	Scott Phillips	3,660
	None	Tony Sundman	3,089
	None	Awhi Haenga	2,887
	Real Solutions for Whanganui	Azian Z	2,549
	None	Julian Emmett	2,185
	Whanganui First	Michael Organ	1,849
	Independent	Robin Westley	1,764
	Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa NZ	Sandra Isobel Kyle	1,764
	None	Gregory McPhee	1,425
Informal			47
Blank			107
Turnout

Whanganui Māori Ward

Affiliation		Candidate	Votes	%
	None	Julie Herewini	1,053
	None	Geoff Hipango	867
	Independent	Kiritahi Firmin	590
	Independent	Hayden Potaka	524
	None	Phil T Reweti (Bear)	372
Informal			0
Blank			20
Turnout

Māori Ward Poll

Choice		Votes	%
I vote to keep the Māori ward		7,882	52.05
I vote to remove the Māori ward		7,262	47.95
Total		15,144	100.00
Valid votes		15,144	92.53
Invalid/blank votes		1,223	7.47
Total votes		16,367	100.00
Source: [18]

See also

• 2025 Palmerston North City Council election

Notes

1. • 2 members in the Whanganui subdivision.
   • 2 members in the Kaitoke subdivision.
   • 2 members in the Kai Iwi subdivision.
2. • 2 members from the district in the Whanganui constituency.
   • 1 member partially from the district in the Raki Māori constituency.
3. 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. Whanganui District Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation. ^[9]

References

1. "Key dates and contact information". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
2. "Elections 2025". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council . Retrieved 10 April 2025.
3. "Determination" (PDF). www.lgc.govt.nz. Local Government Commission . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
4. "He Arotake Kanohitanga | Representation Review". www.horizons.govt.nz. Horizons Regional Council . Retrieved 10 April 2025.
5. Ellis, Moana (1 October 2025). "Whanganui mayor regrets speaking at Charlie Kirk vigil after backlash". 1News .
6. Ellis, Moana (28 February 2025). "Deputy mayor to stand aside after 12 years on Whanganui council". Whanganui Chronicle . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
7. Ellis, Moana (19 July 2025). "Departing councillor: 'Social media abuse has got out of hand'". Stuff. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
8. "2025 Triennial Elections | Whanganui District Council". electionz.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
9. "Pukapuka Aratohu Kaitonopōti | Candidate Handbook" (PDF). www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council. p. 16. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
10. Tweed, Mike (29 March 2025). "Three-term councillor running for mayor". Whanganui Chronicle . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
11. Tweed, Mike (3 May 2025). "Another councillor announces mayoralty bid". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 3 May 2025.
12. Tweed, Mike (28 June 2025). "Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe announces re-election bid". Whanganui Chronicle . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 28 June 2025.
13. Tweed, Mike (29 January 2025). "Signed off: Twelve councillors for this year's election". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 April 2025.
14. "Meet Your Mayor and Councillors". www.whanganui.govt.nz. Whanganui District Council . Retrieved 2 August 2025.
15. "Awhi Haenga". Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand . Retrieved 28 August 2025.
16. "Our Candidates". animaljustice.org.nz. Animal Justice Party Aotearoa New Zealand . Retrieved 27 July 2025.
17. Casey, Alex (11 August 2025). "All the celebrities* running in local elections around the country this year". The Spinoff . Retrieved 17 September 2025.
18. "2025 Triennial Elections PRELIMINARY RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Whanganui District Council . Retrieved 13 October 2025.
19. Tweed, Mike (11 October 2025). "Local elections 2025: Andrew Tripe retains Whanganui mayoralty". Whanganui Chronicle . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 October 2025.