Former Tuakau-Pokeno General Ward councillor Jacqui Church has been elected as Waikato District's new mayor replacing Allan Sanson. Photo / Supplied
Former Tuakau-Pokeno General Ward councillor Jacqui Church has been elected as Waikato District's new mayor replacing Allan Sanson. Photo / Supplied
Waikato District has provisionally elected long-standing councillor Jacqui Church as its new mayor to replace Allan Sanson.
The preliminary results also indicate that there are likely to be nine new members on the council. Due to this year's representation review, there has been a reshuffle of the wards, meaning some of the wards have been renamed and now comprise a different area.
In the race for the mayoralty, Church received 7201 votes so far while fellow mayoral candidate and former deputy mayor Aksel Bech received 6298 votes. The other unsuccessful mayoral candidates are Korikori Hawkins with 2067 votes and Ra Puriri with 1416 votes.
One of the new faces on the council is Huntly Ward councillor David Whyte who received 684 votes. Jas Sandhu (214 votes), as well as previous Huntly councillors Shelley Lynch (459 votes) and Frank McInally (123 votes) were unsuccessful.
Another new face will be Peter Thomson (491 votes) who will represent the new Awaroa-Maramarua General Ward after winning the race against previous Awaroa ki Tuakau Ward councillor Stephanie Henderson (390 votes), Greg Cowie (125 votes) and Albert Alferink (224 votes).
The people set to represent the new Tamahere-Woodlands General Ward are Mike Keir (1964 votes) and Crystal Beavis (1884 votes). The unsuccessful candidates are previous Hukanui-Waerenga Ward councillor Chris Woolerton (1347 votes) and Luke Furborough (616 votes).
Former Waikato District mayor Allan Sanson. Photo / Waikato District Council
The successful new candidate who will represent the new Waerenga-Whitikahu General Ward is Marlene Raumati (1078 votes) who won against Tremayne Thompson (314 votes).
The new councillors for the new Tuakau-Pokeno Ward are Vern Reeve (1336 votes) and Kandi Awhina Maxine Ngataki (615 votes).
Church also stood for a Tuakau-Pokeno Ward seat and has received 1937 votes to date. This means she would have been re-elected for the position, but since she has been elected mayor, her nomination for the ward seat was withdrawn.
The unsuccessful candidate for the Tuakau-Pokeno Ward is Doris Mereana Tapine who received 174 votes.
The inaugural Tai Raro Takiwaa Maaori Ward is Tutata Paaniora Sevilla Matatahi-Poutapu (509 votes) who won against Kawekura Nikora (349 votes).
The inaugural Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward is Tilly Turner (518 votes). The unsuccessful candidates are Korikori Hawkins (326 votes) and Sharnay Ormsby Cocup-Hughes (127 votes).
It looks like there are going to be nine new faces on the Waikato District Council. Photo / Supplied
Former Newcastle-Ngāruawāhia General Ward councillors Janet Gibb (2135 votes) and Eugene Patterson (1891 votes) have been re-elected, meaning fellow candidate and Hamilton Māngai Māori James Whetū (874 votes) has been unsuccessful.
Lisa Thomson has been re-elected as the Whāingaroa General Ward (Raglan) councillor with 1195 votes. The unsuccessful candidate Ra Puriri received 284 votes.
The candidates of the Western Districts General Ward, the Taupiri Community Board and the North and South subdivisions for the inaugural Rural-Port Waikato Community Board have all been elected unopposed.
Previous Western Districts General Ward councillor Carolyn Eyre continues to represent her area.
The North Subdivision members of the Rural-Port Waikato Community Board are Leah Fry and Rosemarie Costar and the South Subdivision members are Bruce Cameron and Felicity Coker-Grey.
The members of the Taupiri Community Board elected unopposed are current board members Dorothy Lovell, Howard Lovell, Jo Morley and Sharnay Ormsby Cocup-Hughes.
There will be a byelection for three more candidates for the Tuakau Community Board. The three candidates who have so far put up their hands for the six-member community board are David Henderson and Grace Tema-Liapaneke, who have been elected unopposed.
Originally, Vern Reeve had also been elected unopposed but since he has been elected as a Tuakau-Pokeno Ward councillor, his nomination has been withdrawn.
The official results are expected to be announced on Thursday, October 13.
Below is the full list of the provisionally elected Waikato District councillors:
● Western Districts General Ward Carolyn Eyre - elected unopposed
● Tai Raro Takiwaa Maaori Ward Tutata Paaniora Sevilla Matatahi-Poutapu
● Tai Runga Takiwaa Maaori Ward Tilly Turner
● Huntly Community Board Kim Bredenbeck (1054 votes) Eden Wawatai (1025) Jas Sandhu (899 votes) Sheryl Matenga (716 votes) Greg Maccutchan (650 votes) Frank McInally (613 votes)
● Ngāruawāhia Community Board Kiri-Kahurangi Breeze Morgan (1206 votes) Greg Wiechern (1088 votes) Venessa Rice (964 votes) Dianne Firth (920 votes) Keryn Hooker (853 votes) Jack Ayers (824 votes)
● Raglan Community Board Ross Wallis (915 votes) Satnam Bains (877 votes) Kiri Atawhai Binnersley (865 votes) Dennis Amoore (819 votes) Chris Rayner (818 votes) Tony Oosten (789 votes)
