Former Far North Deputy Mayor Tania McInnes is in a tight race for an NRC seat. Photo / NZME
By Susan Botting - Local Democracy Reporter for Northland
Former Far North Deputy Mayor Tania McInnes has come out second-best in a neck-and-neck two-way race for a seat on the Northland Regional Council (NRC).
Saturday's progress results showed McInnes was just 45 votes ahead of the Bay of Islands - Whangaroa General Constituency's current second-favourite, Marty Robinson.
But the situation flipped with the release of preliminary results on Sunday afternoon.
Robinson took the lead by 71 votes - a small margin between his current 2363 tally and McInnes' 2292.
Their close race is ahead of the final confirmed results, which will not come out for about another week.
McInnes is an NRC newcomer, challenging sitting 2019-2022 councillor Robinson in this general constituency. The constituency's 15,850 electors had their say in a 37.5 per cent voter turnout.
The switch was the only shake-up between Saturday's progressive results and Sunday's preliminary outcomes. Results will be finalised between October 13 and 19.
In NRC's Kaipara General Constituency, Northland Federated Farmers vice-president John Blackwell has at present ousted the regional council's 2019-2022 chair, Penny Smart.
Blackwell's 3163 votes are just 228 votes ahead of Smart's 2935. The constituency's 13,991 electors had a voter turnout of 39.5 per cent.
Change has prevailed in the NRC's Far North General Constituency, where 2019-2022 NRC deputy chair Justin Blaikie's 1626 votes have seen him lose the electoral area's single seat to former NRC councillor Joe Carr's 2551 votes.
There was a 37.3 per cent voter turnout from the constituency's 15,605 electors.
In the NRC's Whangārei Central General Constituency, Jack Craw has been re-elected as a clear favourite, his 3992 votes overshadowing the 1630 cast in favour of Tony Savage, the only other candidate for the electoral area's single seat.
In 2019, Savage unsuccessfully challenged former Whangārei mayor Sheryl Mai. The constituency's 15,556 electors only turned out at 35.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, in the NRC's Mid North General Constituency, Geoff Crawford, the 2022 Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards winner, won the electoral area's single seat by a resounding majority of 3034 ahead of runner-up Lesley Adcock's 1161 votes.
This constituency's 14,236 electors made their voices heard in a 38.1 per cent voter turnout.
In the NRC's Coastal Central General Constituency, Amy Macdonald will continue as a regional councillor after a convincing 4303 votes - 2338 more than closest rival and former NRC councillor Paul Dimery in a 44 per cent voter turnout from its 15,404 electors.
There are two new Māori electoral area councillors joining the regional council for the first time. The 25,174 electors in the NRC's Te Raki Māori Constituency voted in Tui Shortland and Peter-Lucas Jones - with just 22 per cent of voters bothering to cast their vote.
Meanwhile, the NRC's Rick Stolwerk was the only Northland local government councillor elected unopposed, to again represent the Coastal South General seat.
Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
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