Voters have until midday tomorrow to get their votes in for their preferred Hastings/Havelock North ward candidate. Photo / file
Voters have until midday tomorrow to get their votes in for their preferred Hastings/Havelock North ward candidate. Photo / file
Hastings/Havelock North voters have until midday tomorrow to drop their returns to the Hastings District Council for the byelection, the preliminary results of which are due to be released tomorrow afternoon.
As of yesterday, 26.9 per cent (8780 of a potential 32,638) of eligible residents had voted, with six candidates to choose from.
It's the second byelection in the past six months and is being held to fill the seat left vacant when Sandra Hazlehurst was elected mayor.
Byelection candidate Chris Perley. Photo / File.
Vying for the role are Chris Perley, who ran for the Green Party in the Tukituki electorate at last year's general election, and newcomer Alezix Heneti.
Last year's mayoral candidate Stuart Perry. Photo / File.
Last year's mayoral candidate Stuart Perry has returned to give a council chair a shot, as have other candidates who ran in the previous councillor byelection - Eileen Lawson (who received 3021 votes), Bruce Bisset (2154 votes) and Rion Roben (472 votes).
Candidate Eileen Lawson will be running again. Photo / File
Bruce Bisset received 2154 votes last year. Photo / File.
Ms Lawson was the next highest polling candidate to successful contender Wendy Schollum last year, and 38.7 per cent of eligible residents cast a vote.
The turnout was looking significantly lower this byelection, and candidates' campaigning was not as visible as last year when billboards proliferated across the district.
Not that spending money on billboards and other campaign efforts was any guarantee of winning.
In last year's mayoral campaign, the candidates' official election expenses showed that Bayden Barber spent the most money - about $12,000 - mostly on billboards, brochures and advertising.
Ms Hazlehurst spent about $11,000, Stuart Perry $8800 and Simon Nixon $6000. Allister Tosh and Waitawhara Tupaea had no expenses.
Mr Barber was the only mayoral candidate to declare any donations - receiving $2000 from Ngati Kahungunu, $3000 from Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust and $5000 from Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga.
Among last November's councillor candidates, Wendy Schollum spent $2694, Eileen Lawson $2658, and Bruce Bisset spent $370, and also received an anonymous donation of $500.
Rion Roben did not spend anything.
Byelection candidate Rion Roben. Photo / File.
After voting closes tomorrow at noon, the votes would start being counted, with the preliminary results available as soon as possible after 3pm.
