Weston Kirton has been elected Ruapehu District Council mayor. File photo / John Chapman
As wedding celebrant Weston Kirton pronounced the happy couple in front of him married, he could have been forgiven if his mind was elsewhere.
Kirton was at a venue out in a remote part of Hikumutu, near Taumarunui, an area with a cellphone blackspot.
It meant as he helped the couple celebrate their big day, he was one of the last to find out about his own big news - that he had just been elected mayor of the Ruapehu district.
"When the happy couple said 'I do', little did I know that I was also saying 'I do too'," he joked.
When the Herald spoke to Kirton, he had just arrived back from the wedding and been told the news about 10 minutes prior.
"It was great to hear it from my wife first that I had actually been elected," he said.
It's not Kirton's first time wearing the mayoral chains - he was elected as mayor back in 1995 and spent two terms in the role before being unseated.
He has also been on the Ruapehu District Council since 1986, and later went on to be elected to Horizons Regional Council as well.
Kirton jokingly referred to himself as a "recycled" mayor after today's results, in which he hustled the top spot with 1495 votes so far, according to the progress results released by the district council.
The candidate in second place had 1126 votes.
Kirton, who has been a celebrant since 2015, left one party for another - he'll be joining his loved ones for a celebration of his election tonight.
"We don't do this alone, it's always done with a team of people," he said.
He acknowledged his son's work in running his campaign for him, and said his team did "a great job getting the messages out there".
"We stuck to a positive campaign, we didn't run down any other candidates at any stage ... the public saw it as it was."
Ruapehu was ready for a change in leadership and approach, one that put the community first, he said.
"With a new diverse council including our new Māori ward councillors, this is a new era for Ruapehu.
"Our community has been through some tough times but I think our best days are still ahead of us. I will aim to put the future wellbeing of our community at the centre of our decision-making. The people are the heart of this district and as council it is our job to nurture that."
The preliminary results are expected after 4pm tomorrow, and final results are expected to be announced on Thursday.
