The make-up of councils all over New Zealand has been decided in the 2022 local elections.
In the Taupō District, fewer than half of eligible voters took the opportunity to cast their vote.
For the district as a whole, 12,537 of an eligible 27,217 voters had their say, a return of 46.06 per cent. This was down from 52.16 per cent in 2019, but above the national return of 40.44 per cent.
Of the individual wards, Taupō ward was the highest achiever with 51.19 per cent (9152 out of 17,879), closely followed by the Tūrangi-Tongariro ward with 50.38 per cent (1253 out of 2487).
In the Taupō East Rural ward, 638 of an eligible 1728 (36.92 per cent) people returned their vote. Mangakino-Pouakani had a return of 477 out of 1349 (35.36 per cent).
While the Taupō East Rural and Mangakino-Pouakani ward candidates were both re-elected unopposed, voters in those wards were still able to vote for mayor.
The new Te Papamārearea Māori ward had a return of 1017 out of 3774 eligible voters (26.95 per cent).
Nationwide, the top three councils in terms of voter turnout were Kaikoura District Council (62.02 per cent), Carterton District Council (59.06 per cent) and Westland District Council (58.75 per cent).
The bottom three were Hamilton City Council (29.4 per cent), Waikato District Council (32.3 per cent) and Hastings District Council (32.95 per cent).
Taupō District Council electoral officer Warwick Lampp says, nationally, voter turnout was not as bad as has been reported.
"We processed more votes this time and for our councils, many were up, including Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. We had a later last-minute return than usual, helped by the orange ballot bins.
"It is important for electors to have their say on who their leaders are for the next three years, as they will make big decisions on the future of the district.
"Things that can help turnout in the future could include a longer voting period given the slowdown in the postal network, online voting, and more ballot bins."
For more information on the Taupō District Council election, including the full results, go to www.taupo.govt.nz/vote22.
Taupō District Council chief executive Gareth Green congratulates Mayor David Trewavas after he is sworn in at the first council meeting of the term. Photo / Supplied
Taupō District Council's mayor and councillors officially assumed their duties after being sworn in at a ceremony at the inaugural council meeting on October 27.
Mayor David Trewavas and the 12 councillors, seven of whom are returning and five of whom are newly-elected, were greeted by about 150 council staff with speeches and waiata at a mihi whakatau welcome at the Great Lake Centre.
Many of the councillors brought along family members to support them, both at the mihi whakatau and the first council meeting of the term.
One of them, Cr John Williamson, had four generations of his family present, from his mother - former Taupō District mayor Joan Williamson - to his daughter and grandchildren.
At the meeting, Mayor David Trewavas was sworn in, followed by the councillors, with some choosing to make their declaration in a mixture of te reo Māori and English.
Cr Kevin Taylor was formally appointed to the role of deputy mayor. Cr Taylor said he appreciated the council's confidence in him and would do his best for the people of the Taupō District.
Mayor Trewavas said the new council was looking forward to the next three years, which would be a busy time.
"We look forward to completing the airport terminal redevelopment, Waiora House, the Taupō town centre transformation and looking after Tūrangi, Mangakino and all the wonderful settlements around our district."
The next meeting of the Taupō District Council will be held in the usual venue of the Council Chambers at 107 Te Heuheu Street, Taupō, on Tuesday, November 15 at 2pm. It will be open to the public and available to view as a livestream on the council's YouTube channel.
