Chained to office - all Hawke's Bay mayors return

Craig Little, who dallied with the idea of standing down after three terms, has been re-elected as mayor of Wairoa. Photo / NZME

No changes are expected in any of the five council mayoralties in wider Hawke's Bay, with all three incumbents facing challenges at the polls expected to be re-elected now that most votes in the 2022 local body elections have been counted.

Based on progress results released on Saturday afternoon, Craig Little (Wairoa), Kirsten Wise (Napier), and Tracey Collis (Tararua) were all comfortably ahead, while Hastings' Sandra Hazlehurst and Central Hawke's Bay's Alex Walker did not have to face an election and were re-elected unopposed.

Little, seeking a fourth term, had an updated results majority of 700 votes over nearest opponent Benita Cairns, a former councillor who was successful in getting back a place on the council.

Wise, seeking a second term, held an initial majority of 1898 votes over councillor Nigel Simpson, the nearest challenger in a three-way contest, and Collis, seeking a third term, secured two-thirds of the vote in a four-way Tararua contest and was 2115 votes in front of her nearest rival, Cr Sharon Wards.

The support for the mayors followed a similar path in the election of councillors – the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, the four local councils within, and Tararua District Council, in the Horizons (Manawatū-Whanganui) Regional Council area.

Of those seeking re-election, only Hawke's Bay Regional council member Craig Foss and Wairoa district councillors Hine Flood and Danika Goldsack were unseated.

Perhaps the major surprise was the defeat of former Tukituki MP Foss in his bid for re-election to the Heretaunga-Hastings constituency of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.

The council, expanded from nine to 11 members with the advent of two single-seat Maori wards, has five new members, including all three in Heretaunga-Hastings; in Jock Mackintosh, who retires this month as CEO at the regional sports park in Hastings, former Hastings District Council member Sophie Siers, and winegrower Xan Harding.

Its other new members are Di Roadley, elected in the Wairoa constituency, and southern area Māui ki te Tonga Maori representative Thompson Hokianga. Wairoa incumbent Charles Lambert was successful in his bid to retain a seat as the inaugural northern area Māui ki te Raki Maori representative.

All 10 seeking re-election to the 12-member Napier City council are returned, joined by Julie Greig in the Nelson Park Ward (replacing Api Tapine) and Chad Tareha in Taradale (replacing Tania Wright).

The nine re-elected in the Hastings District, including three unopposed, will be joined by six new councillors, including historian Michael Fowler, the only new councillor of seven in the largest ward, Hastings-Havelock North.

The other new members are Takitimu Maori Ward-elect Ana Apatu, Kellie Jessup and Renata Nepe, Flaxmere's Henry Heke - the single representative in a Ward that formerly had two - and Marcus Buddo, a community board member stepping up to the council table as the Kahuranaki representative, beating John Roil, a former councillor seeking a comeback.

Others re-elected included all of the eight-member Central Hawke's Bay District Council, four of them unopposed.

All three seeking re-election in the four-seat Tararua District's North Ward were returned, although the poll was headed by newcomer Steve Wallace, while its South Ward has three new councillors joining returning ward councillor Peter Johns.

Wise welcomed the support to retain stability on the Napier council, enhancing the making of early decisions and with the two new members having both had active involvement in community affairs – Tareha familiar with processes as chair of the council's Māori Committee, comprising both council and community representatives, and Greig having successfully sought a playground development near the rose garden adjacent to Kennedy Park, and a pedestrian crossing on Latham St.

Little was disappointed to be losing two "hard-working" councillors, but said it was time to move and make the council work after a campaign which had included allegations of secrecy and even improper activity at the council.

The results, some updated late on Sunday, are provisional, pending final declarations by Thursday.