Celia Wade-Brown re-elected in Wellington

Celia Wade-Brown.

Celia Wade-Brown has been re-elected for a second term as mayor of Wellington.

The incumbent defeated challengers John Morrison, Rob Goulden, Karunanidhi Muthu, Jack Yan and Nicola Young.

A Wellington City Council spokesman said Mr Morrison had come second and Jack Yan third.

Ms Wade-Brown beat Mr Morrison by a total of 2284 votes, based on preliminary results, with 26,854 votes to Mr Morrison's 24,570.

Wade-Brown's majority was greater than the 1570 special votes cast this year - a record number of special votes, and almost double the 774 in 2010.

Voter turnout in Wellington was up slightly to 40.85 per cent, excluding special votes, from 39.54 per cent in 2010.

The council now has four Green members - including Ms Wade-Brown who, although independent, is linked to the party, as well as incumbent councillor Iona Pannett and newcomers David Lee and Sarah Free.

A jubilant Ms Wade-Brown said she had been given a clear mandate.

"I'm feeling really pleased, really grateful for all the supporters and looking forward to the next three years."

She said voter turnout had improved in Wellington - and it was good to know the result on the day.

In the last election, she faced a nail-biting wait for special votes to be counted before her victory was confirmed.

Ms Wade-Brown did not yet know who had come second, but the strongest contender was believed to be former cricketer and Wellington councillor John Morrison.

She said Mr Morrison had a different vision and personality. She would wait to see who had come in second before calling other candidates.

She would begin announcing a programme of projects once the shape of the council was clear - including cycle lanes, the high-tech sector, a conference venue and a museum celebrating the city's film industry.

Ms Wade-Brown said she was looking forward to working with re-elected Auckland Mayor Len Brown and Christchurch Mayor elect Lianne Dalziel.