Start to finish: Tanya Bamford-King, Mahē Drysdale, Anthony Goddard, Ria Hall, Tim Maltby, Douglas Owens, Tina Sailsbury, John Robson, Greg Brownless, BOP Hori, Andrew Caie and Jos Nagels are in the running for Mayor of Tauranga in the city's 2024 local body election. Photo / NZME and Supplied. Not pictured: Chudleigh Haggett, Aureliu Braguta, Donna Hannah.
Start to finish: Tanya Bamford-King, Mahē Drysdale, Anthony Goddard, Ria Hall, Tim Maltby, Douglas Owens, Tina Sailsbury, John Robson, Greg Brownless, BOP Hori, Andrew Caie and Jos Nagels are in the running for Mayor of Tauranga in the city's 2024 local body election. Photo / NZME and Supplied. Not pictured: Chudleigh Haggett, Aureliu Braguta, Donna Hannah.
On July 20, Tauranga voters will take part in their first city council election since 2019. The last council was sacked by the Local Government Minister and replaced with commissioners, whose extended term is about to end. The election is being held out of sync with national elections, meaning the eight general ward councillors, Māori ward councillor and the mayor whom voters elect will be in power until 2028 – four years instead of the standard three. Read on to find out who is standing in the Tauranga City Council 2024 election, as well as information about voting.
Nominations closed at noon on May 24. This article will be updated if further candidates are officially confirmed by the council.
Candidates for mayor of Tauranga
Tanya Bamford-King – Independent
Tanya Bamford-King is running for the Tauranga mayoralty in the 2024 local body elections.
The business owner and mother says she has lived in Tauranga for 26 years and describes her work as supporting small and medium-sized businesses here and overseas. She says she has a background in financial and people management as well as robust financial literacy, leadership, comprehension and decision-making skills. Her priorities are to lead a cohesive, informed, effective council balancing individual, cultural and business needs. She is also standing in Matua-Otūmoetai.
Hori BOP
Hori BOP is running for mayor in Tauranga. Photo / George Novak
Hori BOP – also known as Terry Leaming – has been entertaining the crowds at the Bay of Plenty Steamers’ rugby matches for more than two decades as an unofficial mascot for the team. This is not Leaming’s first foray into election politics as he stood for the Western Bay of Plenty mayoralty in 2022 and Tauranga’s in 2016. He says he aspires to become mayor because he wants a sports stadium at Blake Park.
Aureliu Braguta – Independent
Mayoral candidate Aurel Braguta, who is also standing in Welcome Bay. Photo / supplied
Braguta says he lived in Tauranga for more than 21 years. At 27-years-old, he built his first home and started his own business and he says during those years he learned how to manage finances, people, and work with various organisations. Braguta says if he is elected to the council, his focus will be on rationalising the existing budget and completing projects in an efficient and timely manner, opening the roads and getting the traffic moving, and encouraging business development.
Greg Brownless – Community Focus – Responsible Spending
Greg Brownless wants to be Tauranga's mayor again. Photo / Andrew Warner
Brownless was Tauranga’s mayor from 2016 to 2019 where he says he led a diverse group of councillors with different opinions. He says they prioritised essential infrastructure and delivered water, sewerage, transport and airport projects. The former councillor and National Party candidate says he hopes to bring experienced and inclusive leadership, business skills and responsible spending to get Tauranga moving. Brownless donated his business to a trust that he says has gifted more than $3.5 million to community organisations.
Andrew Caie
Andrew Caie is standing for the Tauranga mayoralty and in Te Papa ward.
A physiotherapist by trade, Caie was the TOP candidate for Tauranga in 2020. He says he aspires to become mayor because he believes one of the biggest problems in New Zealand politics is “we don’t complete a lot of things” – particularly locally. He says he believes the 10-year plan will help Tauranga reach its potential. He wants to see the plan through and revitalise the CBD. Originally from Auckland, he moved to Tauranga aged 9. He is also standing in Te Papa ward.
Donna Hannah
Donna Hannah is running for the Tauranga mayoralty and for the Welcome Bay ward. Photo / Supplied
A nationally-recognised business co-owner, mother, and grandmother, Hannah (Ngāti Ranginui) says she is known for building strong relationships and community engagement. With deep generational roots in Tauranga, Hannah says she advocates for local voices in decision-making. The Katikati resident has a background in information technologies and multiple degrees relating to education, finance, leadership, project, and change management. Hannah says she is committed to leading a council that prioritises businesses, communities, and tangata whenua collaboration. She is also standing for Welcome Bay.
Mahé Drysdale
Mahé Drysdale will run in Tauranga's 2024 election for the mayoralty. Photo / Alex Cairns
The Olympic rowing gold medallist, who became a financial adviser after retiring from the sport, says he is future-focused and wants to lead a new generation of strong and accountable leadership that will create a modern and attractive city. Raised in Tauranga and living in Cambridge, Drysdale says the impact of population growth, major infrastructure builds and redevelopment of the centre city are issues the new council will need to address.
Anthony Goddard
Anthony Goddard is running for the Tauranga mayoralty.
The Chill Tradies and Bay Air business owner and father of two has returned home from running a company in Australia for eight years wanting to revitalise Tauranga. He says that, as a young and keen business owner, he brings fresh ideas and a commitment to transparency. He aspires to become mayor to enhance sustainable growth, improve infrastructure and foster an inclusive community by making Tauranga great again. He is also standing in Arataki.
Chudleigh Haggett says strong leadership, understanding local government, business and managing staff are prerequisites for any mayor. His policy is “ratepayers decide” and he believes that, as one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing cities, Tauranga’s planning and future-proofing should be guided by ratepayers or their elected representatives in concert with the expertise of staff. By working together with a good leader, this can be achieved. He is also standing in Te Papa.
Ria Hall
Ria Hall is running for mayor in the Tauranga 2024 local body election. Photo / Alex Cairns
Born and raised in Tauranga, Hall is an award-winning singer and mother of three. Of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pūkenga descent, she has pledged to commit to a connected, inclusive and thriving community. The 45-year-old, who is studying regional development, says she wants Tauranga to become a city of arts and culture, attracting greater tourism and business. Hall wants to address the city’s infrastructure and housing challenges and future-proof it for generations to come. She is also standing in Pāpāmoa.
Tim Maltby – Our Rates are too High
Tim Maltby is running for the Tauranga mayoralty this year.
Maltby says he is an engineer with a doctorate from Cambridge University. He says he was born and raised in Tauranga and has been back for the past 20 years. He is against big spending, debt and massive rates increases. He says to spend carefully on the basics and cut waste, the council must be reorganised to make it more effective, listen to residents instead of big business, scrap the CBD projects, build facilities in the suburbs and stop high-rise building at the Mount. He is also standing in Pāpāmoa.
Nagels says his mantra is visionary leadership, not “repeater-ship”. Nagels, who has lived in Tauranga since 1976, believes prevailing attitudes in government to issues such as transport are stuck in the 1960s and he wants Tauranga to look to the world for better options. He says he wants to tackle urban sprawl and excessive roading. He is also standing in the Bethlehem ward.
Douglas Owens – Independent
Former Bay of Plenty regional councillor Doug Owens is running for the Tauranga mayoralty.
The former Bay of Plenty regional councillor says he is keen to re-enter local politics to set a new council standard driven by accountability for planning, development, audit/risk and people. Owens, son of former mayor the late Sir Bob Owens, says he is determined to advance Tauranga through practical community-focused solutions and growth for change. Owens pledges to review all aspects of work completed and planned by the council’s management and commissioners.
John Robson – Principled; Professional; Democratic
Former Tauranga City councillor John Robson is running for the mayoralty. Photo / Alex Cairns
Robson is a former councillor whose most recent term was cut short when the council was sacked. Robson says he retired at 40 following a successful international management consulting career and was motivated to enter local politics after examining the council’s 2006 Long-term Plan. He says he believes little has changed with the current LTP and that growth will “continue to blight rather than benefit” Tauranga unless a council is elected that can develop a strategic, sustainable, and fully funded plan. He is also standing in the Bethlehem ward.
Tina Salisbury – People and Progress over Politics
Tina Salisbury is running for mayor in the Tauranga City Council elections.
The former deputy mayor was part of the sacked 2019 council. She says she was not involved in the interpersonal politics and the city needs to move forward. Salisbury, who says she has community and business leadership, aims to rebuild confidence and trust by cultivating a cohesive and inclusive team that values community participation. She says she is values-driven and focused on working with communities, tangata whenua, regional and national partners for solutions.
A non-resident ratepayer who has applied for enrolment on the ratepayer roll
A resident outside Tauranga nominated by a firm, company, corporation or society paying rates on a property in Tauranga.
How to enrol to vote in the Tauranga election
You can check if you are enrolled or enrol via the vote.nz website. You need to have a New Zealand driver’s licence, New Zealand passport or a RealMe verified identity.
Whichever way you enrol, you need to sign the form. If you can’t complete or sign the form because of a physical or mental impairment, ask your support person for help, as they may be able to act on your behalf, if they have power of attorney.
If you can’t enrol online, you can have an enrolment form emailed or posted for you to sign and return. You can also call 0800 367656 to arrange an enrolment form, or text 3676 to have a form posted to you.
Completed forms can be emailed to enrol@vote.nz or posted to Electoral Commission, Freepost 2 Enrol, PO Box 190, Wellington 6140.
How to vote in the Tauranga election
Each voting pack includes a booklet with information on candidates, which should arrive in your letterbox from June 29 if you are enrolled.
Vote by filling out the form, popping it into the free return envelope in the pack and posting it or dropping it into an orange voting bin at Tauranga supermarkets.
Anyone posting their vote will need to do so before July 16. Voting papers can also be dropped off, in their envelopes, at Tauranga City Library or at the Mount Hub.
The story has been updated to remove Craig Purcell who was running for the Pāpāmoa ward but has since withdrawn from the election for personal reasons.
