New mayors pledge change

New mayor of Hamilton Julie Hardaker and her partner, Steve Perdia. Photo / Mark Hamilton

The V8s will stay and the books will be opened up - Hamilton's new mayor has pledged a change of style for the country's fourth biggest city.

Julie Hardaker rolled incumbent Bob Simcock by 800 votes yesterday, providing one of the upsets of the local body elections.

There were other upsets, though, in the upper North Island particularly in Whangarei where Stan Semenoff was ousted by Morris Cutforth. Cutforth was another new mayor promising an open and inclusive council.

Hardaker emerged from nowhere to overtake Simcock in Hamilton.

She said voters had seized on her vision of Hamilton as a "big city" that needed direction. She said she intended holding a vision summit to help chart the course of the city for the next 50 years.

Hardaker also pledged to open the council accounts to ratepayers. "There is lots of information there and I suspect most of it is not accurate."

Hardaker said she remained personally opposed to the V8 races in the city because the city got nothing in return. She said the city would honour the contract signed with the organisers but would seek to make money out of the races.

"It's a huge spend. I really want to make it work for our city."

Auctioneer and businessman Cutforth hinted Whangarei was in for a new era too.

"A lot of people have been kept in the dark and there's a real mystery surrounding council business. I want to take the mystery away."

In New Plymouth, former Labour Government minister Harry Duynhoven returned to politics as the city's new mayor with 10,011 votes - 1657 ahead of rival Pauline Lockett.

Duynhoven said he was looking forward to getting on with the job. He was pleased to be back in politics and "absolutely" looking forward to the next three years as mayor of New Plymouth. "And maybe longer."

The former Labour MP and transport minister said he was relieved when he got the results yesterday. "Relieved in a way, firstly, that we have a result, and it's a clear result.

"Secondly, for a council which has a good deal of experience. I think it's a council with a lot of ability. I suspect we'll settle down pretty quickly and [get] on with the job."

The gap was far greater in Tauranga, where thrice re-elected mayor Stuart Crosby came home with a 12,300-vote lead on his nearest rival.

Crosby said the lesson from this election was the desire from voters to see a more unified council. He acknowledged there had been friction within the previous council and said this would change.

Lawrence Yule was returned as Hastings District mayor, beating Simon Nixon by 11,150 votes to 6626.

Incumbent Central Hawke's Bay mayor Trish Giddens was narrowly defeated by three-term council member and farmer Peter Butler, by 76 votes. Rotorua mayor Kevin Winters will keep the city's top job for another three years after a landslide victory over Charles Sturt.