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The 2016 Rangitikei mayoral election were part of the Rangitikei and wider New Zealand local elections. On 8 October 2016, elections were held for the Mayor of Rangitikei and other local government roles. Incumbent mayor Andy Watson was first elected in 2013 with 41.5% of the vote. [1] [2] Watson announced on 9 June he is running for a second term as mayor. [3] [4] Running against Watson are community patrol chair George London and civil engineer Robert Snijders, all three from Marton. [5]
Following are the key dates for the mayoral election: [6]
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 July | Nominations open for candidates. |
| 12 August | Nominations close at noon. |
| 17 August | Election date and candidates’ names publicised by electoral officers. |
| 16–21 September | Voting documents delivered to households. Electors can post the documents back to electoral officers as soon as they have voted. |
| 8 October | Polling day — all documents must be at the council before voting closes at noon. Preliminary results (i.e. once all ordinary votes are counted) will be available as soon as possible afterwards. |
| 13–19 October | Official results (including all valid ordinary and special votes) declared. |
Incumbent mayor Andy Watson announced on 9 June his intention to run for a second term. [3]
On 9 August candidates George London and Robert Snijders came forward. [5] London is a Queen's Service Medal recipient, given to him for his services to the community; he is a volunteer health shuttle driver for St John Ambulance since 2009 and was elected chairman of the Marton Community Patrol in June 2015. [7]
Snijders is a civil engineer and the new owner of the Old Granary in Marton since July 2016; Snijders and his wife aim to restore the building—a Heritage New Zealand Category II building [8] —which had burnt down in March 2013. [9]
On 28 July, as no other candidates had yet come forward, mayor Watson encouraged other candidates to stand for the mayoral election saying "It would be poor democracy if there were no more names put forward". [4] Watson voiced his drive as being the number of projects he had initiated that he wanted to see through, and the district being faced with fairly major challenges around earthquake infrastructure. [10]
Snijder's view on the council is that "it needed to be more engaged with the community". [5] Snijder has been a civil engineer working in Libya, Russia and England doing urban rejuvenation. "With my construction background I feel I'm more than qualified to step in and provide advice and expertise on costs and how to improve the proposed design [of new proposed centres in Bulls, Marton and Taihape]." In addition, Snijder aims to increase tourism in the area. [10]
London, a resident in Marton for 16 years and chair of the Marton Community Patrol, has said the council "needs a 'stronger' leader". Further adding: "I don't think there's a strong enough council there at the moment. They're a bit shy, a bit quiet and I want to be a bit louder and get out there more". [10]
The results were released on 31 October 2016. [11]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Andy Watson | 3,638 | 77.35 | +35.88 | |
| Independent | Robert Snijders | 700 | 14.88 | — | |
| Independent | George London | 365 | 7.76 | — | |
| Majority | 2,938 | 62.47 | +52.31 | ||
| Total valid votes | 4,703 | 99.87 | +0.24 | ||
| Informal votes | 6 | 0.13 | −0.24 | ||
| Turnout | 4,781 | 47.86 | −1.36 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,989 [13] | ||||
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Marton is a town in the Rangitikei district of the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island. It is situated 35 kilometres southeast of Whanganui and 40 kilometres northwest of Palmerston North.
The Rangitikei District is a territorial authority located primarily in the Manawatū-Whanganui region in the North Island of New Zealand, although a small part, the town of Ngamatea, lies in the Hawke's Bay Region. It is located in the southwest of the island, and follows the catchment area of the Rangitīkei River.
Rangitīkei is a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rangitīkei is Ian McKelvie of the National Party. He has held this position since 2011.
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The 1880 Rangitikei by-election was a by-election held during the 7th New Zealand Parliament in the Rangitikei electorate of the North Island. This was the fourth by-election since the Rangitikei electorate was established for the 1861 election. The previous by-election took place in 1875 and the following one took place in 1892. Sir William Fox, Premier of New Zealand on four occasions, was elected to Parliament for his sixth and final time.
The Mayor of Rangitikei is the head of the Rangitikei District Council in New Zealand. The role was created in 1989 with the formation of the Rangitikei District as part of the 1989 local government reforms. The current mayor since 2013 is Andy Watson from Marton.
Andrew Watson is the Mayor of Rangitikei District in Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand. He was elected as Mayor of Rangitikei on 12 October 2013, defeating incumbent mayor Chalky Leary. Watson was re-elected in 2016 and 2019.
The 2013 Rangitikei mayoral election was part of the Rangitikei and wider New Zealand local elections. On 12 October 2013, elections were held for the Mayor of Rangitikei and other local government roles. The incumbent, Robert "Chalky" Leary, ran against three other candidates and lost re-election to Andy Watson who was elected with 41.5% of the vote, a 486-vote majority over Leary whose vote share succumbed to 31.3%.
The 2013 Rangitikei local elections were held across the Rangitikei District of Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand, for the offices of Mayor of Rangitikei and eleven members of the Rangitikei District Council on 12 October 2013. They were held as part of the 2013 New Zealand local elections. Postal ballots were issued to 9,866 registered voters, and were returned from 23 September to 12 October. Across the district, 4,856 people cast votes, a voter turnout of 49.22%. Some voters chose not to vote in particular elections or referendums, so voter turnout in individual elections varies from this figure.
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The 2016 Rangitikei local elections were held across the Rangitikei District of Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand, between 16 September and 8 October. These elections were for the offices of Mayor of Rangitikei, eleven members of the Rangitikei District Council, four members each of two community boards, two members of the Horizons Regional Council and seven members of the Whanganui District Health Board; these elections were part of the New Zealand-wide local elections. Postal ballots will be issued to all registered voters.
Marton railway station was a station and rail junction on the Marton–New Plymouth Line, opened on 4 February 1878. After the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT) made a junction to the south of Marton, a new station was built there and the old station renamed and downgraded, in 1898.
