Three current Napier City councillors - Mark Herbert, Mark Hamilton and Michelle Pyke - appear to have lost their seats with 98% of the vote counted in the local government elections.

Full preliminary results for 2016 local body elections for the North Island.

Lawrence Yule is thrilled that he's kept the mayoral chains.

New Wellington mayor had two speeches to choose from - one in a blue folder and one in a red folder. 'Fortunately,' he says, 'I get to read the one in the red folder.'

Hamish McDouall is Whanganui’s new mayor winning almost 40 per cent of the vote and nearly the twice the number of his nearest rival. Made with funding for NZ on Air.

The success of Labour-aligned candidates in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch mayoral contests will give party members a boost, Labour leader Andrew Little says.

National will need to make history to capture Phil Goff's Mt Roskill seat in an upcoming byelection, the party's president Peter Goodfellow says.

The mayoral race in the Far North was lacklustre in comparison with some others around the country with only an 11th-hour nomination by Waipapa motoring writer Peter Gill stopping incumbent John Carter from being elected unopposed.

Celebrations are taking place up and down the country as local body elections results roll in.

Auckland mayoral candidate Chloe Swarbrick has already been approached by political parties.

In a "rare interview" Mary Goff, wife of newly-elected Mayor Phil Goff, says her husband is probably the best person for the job.

An hour before Greg Brownless heard he had been elected mayor, he was balancing up whether to move the chicken coop or mow the lawns.

Unopposed Napier Mayor Bill Dalton says he has conflicting emotions about the new Napier City Council table.

Justin Lester was getting a haircut when he took the phone call telling him he had won the race to become Wellington mayor.

Garry Webber has been elected Western Bay of Plenty mayor in a tightly contested race.

Lianne Dalziel has thanked voters for placing their trust in her as she romped to a landslide re-election victory today and pledged: "I won't let you down".

Labour MP Phil Goff has been elected the new Mayor of Auckland.

Today's local body election result is a resounding victory for CHB mayoral candidate Alex Walker, who in the preliminary count has come in with about twice the vote of rival Sally Butler.

Incumbent mayor Tony Bonne looks to have regained his position.

With the progress results now in, representing an approximate 95 per cent of all votes received, all incumbant councillors at Stratford District Council have retained their seats.

Taupo mayor David Trewavas has been returned to the top job with over a 5500 vote margin at the progress stage.

Preliminary results are in for most parts of the country in today's local council elections.

Full preliminary results for 2016 local body elections for the North Island.

3.05pm: Re-elected mayor Steve Chadwick has confirmed Dave Donaldson will again be her deputy mayor. Mrs Chadwick and her supporters

INTERACTIVE: Explore the local election results as they come in.

The race to elect a new mayor for Auckland and other cities and towns round the country is drawing to a close.

Voter numbers in South Auckland are the lowest across the entire Super City as the deadline for returning ballot papers looms.

INTERACTIVE: Explore turnout maps, wasted votes and numbers of female candidates in the 2016 local elections.

COMMENT: Once again the democratic process has been diverted by a large donation to a single candidate.