New Hamilton East Ward councillor Mark Donovan wants thriving city with less crime

Mark Donovan is the new Hamilton City East Ward councillor. Photo / Supplied

Hamilton City Council's new East Ward councillor is former business owner of Donovan's Chocolates, Mark Donovan.

He received 1774 votes, 208 ahead of the next highest polling candidate Anna Casey-Cox with 1566 votes. Anna Smart placed third with 1470 votes. A total of 12,178 votes were received, making up 20.7 per cent of the 58,835 voting packs delivered.

Donovan says: "I am a bit overwhelmed. As a sports and business man you always go into competitive situations wanting to win, but at the end you just never know."

As a first action in his new position he would like to plant a cherry tree in honour of former councillor Margaret Forsyth.

"She did a lot for the city and I know she loved cherry trees. Her death is the reason that got the whole thing going."

Donovan says he is excited for his new role. "I can't wait to get my feet under the desk, although I still have a lot to learn, but I am up for the challenge. I had a strong sense of purpose over the last eight weeks campaigning ... [and] I know I can contribute.

"My dream for Kirikiriroa is to be a great river city with less crime, plenty of recreational, fitness and green spaces, with vibrant cultural and sporting events to attract domestic tourism."

Donovan studied at Waikato University and also raised his kids in Hamilton, living in the Rototuna, Chartwell and Fairfield area for more than 25 years. He has just moved to the West Ward but feels strongly connected to Hamilton East.

"I am a proud Hamiltonian and have lived in Hamilton East for a very long time - it's where the Chocolate Factory first started. I would love to move back to Hamilton East eventually," he says.

Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate says she and other councillors would welcome their new colleague in person once lockdown was over.

"I want to congratulate Mark and warmly welcome him on board. We have some huge and complex challenges ahead of us and the decisions we make will impact on Hamilton for generations. So I look forward to helping Mark get up to speed very quickly so he can understand what's at stake and make a full contribution, quickly."

Donovan's colleague Mark Bunting also thanked all candidates who haven't been successful. "Massive ups to those unsuccessful this time. Putting your name up for public office is extremely brave and generous, so I doff my cap to you all."

A total of 12,178 votes were received, or 20.7 per cent of the 58,835 voting packs delivered. This compares to the 23.26 per cent of East Ward voting packs returned in the 2018 byelection.

Hamilton City Council was required to hold a byelection after the death of East Ward councillor Margaret Forsyth in early May.

The final results:

Mark Donovan - 1774
Anna Casey-Cox - 1566
Anna Smart - 1470
Peter Humphreys - 929
Ada Xiao - 903
Horiana Henderson - 779
Naomi Pocock - 634
Emma Pike - 577
Lisa Lewis - 569
Wiremu Taylor Puke - 444
Riki Manarangi - 361
Pirihira Kaio - 291
Ross Macleod - 280
Donna Pokere-Phillips - 247
Jack Gielen - 209
Roshni Desai - 209
Chris van der Aa - 193
Colm McKeogh - 180
Daniel Pascoe - 129
Ritesh Chandra - 125
Kat Waswo - 120
Jennifer Myers - 57
Michelle Houghton - 47
Christopher Manson - 40
Informal - 37
Blank - 8