Nelson is recovering from a natural disaster and is rapidly losing its regional economic crown to the Tasman District. Is the city’s longest-serving politician the man who can take it forward?
Why is Nelson the best place in the world?
Where do I start? The most sunshine hours in the country, a stunning harbour, fantastic access to the Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes, or the Marlborough Sounds. Great wine, even better seafood, and the best peanut butter on the planet. Home of the misleadingly named Centre of New Zealand monument, and the accurately subtitled Richmond Mall: Centre of it All (although technically that’s in the Tasman District).
The city is represented by the legendary Nelson Giants, with the best-named mascot in sports, The G.I. Ant. And, of course, the mighty Mako (fins up). Nelson has produced some of New Zealand’s most important figures: scientist Ernest Rutherford, the Williams comedy dynasty of Maria, Paul and Guy, and also beloved Spinoff journalist Joel MacManus*.
*not to mention Alice Neville, who is editing this piece.
What is the contest?
Voters will elect a mayor and 12 councillors. Four councillors are elected to the Central Ward, four to the Stoke-Tāhunanui Ward, one to the Whakatū Māori Ward, and three are councillors “at large”. Locals will also vote in a referendum on whether to keep the Māori ward.
Nelson City Council is a unitary authority, meaning there is no regional council, so the usual regional council responsibilities like public transport and environmental regulation fall under the city council’s remit.
Who is in the race?
Incumbent mayor Nick Smith is the most successful politician in Nelson’s history. The former National minister won 10 straight elections as the local MP before being turfed out by Labour’s Rachel Boyack as part of the red wave in 2020. He left parliament the following year after a bullying scandal, but the voters of Nelson quickly forgave him when he ran for mayor in 2022 and won by a wide margin.
The only serious challenger is Aaron Stallard, a current councillor. He’s running as an independent but is Green-aligned; he stood for the party in the Nelson electorate in the 2020 general election. Stallard has more of an urbanist bent and wants more focus on environmental measures. He has also beefed with Smith about the mayor’s decision to replace council committees with taskforces. Stallard thought that move created a “problematic and unusual centralisation of power”.
There are two other mayoral candidates. John Wakelin, whose candidate bio is in the form of a prayer, and Richard Osmaston, of the Money Free Party, who wants a world where all goods and services are free and all work is voluntary. Osmaston is also running for mayor in Buller, Grey District, Westland and Tasman.
Left to right: Aaron Stallard, John Wakelin, Richard Osmaston, Nick Smith.
Teal-tinged Tim Skinner is the only existing councillor “at large” seeking re-election. Stallard is also running in this ward, having previously represented the Central Ward. Other prominent candidates include Nigel Skeggs, the former chief executive of Nelson Marina, and Keith Palmer, who ran iwi entity Wakatū Incorporation for 18 years.
The Central Ward features two incumbents, left-leaning Matty Anderson and right-leaning James Hodgson. Other contenders include David North, a former pilot who runs the Nelson Jazz Festival, Marie Lindaya, who was a personal assistant to three former mayors, Steph Philipps, who sits on the boards of several community groups, and Mike Ward, a one-term Green MP, six-term councillor, and 28-time Coast to Coast finisher. Oh, and he’s also a former World of Wearable Arts supreme winner.
In the Stoke-Tāhunanui Ward, Campbell Rollo is seeking re-election; he was the victim of a deepfake shooting hoax spread on social media earlier this year. Labour candidate Sarah Kerby is the only representative of a parliamentary political party. And if you thought Nick Smith has been in politics for a long time, there’s Mel Courtney, who predates Smith’s political career by two decades. He was MP for Nelson from 1976-1981. The 82-year-old has been on council since 2016 and is seeking his fourth term.
Whakatū Maori Ward councillor Kahu Paki Paki i (Te Ātiawa) has been re-elected unopposed.
What’s at stake?
While the broader Nelson/Tasman region is one of the fastest-growing in the country, Nelson city lags behind, with a population increase of 3.3% since 2018. Neighbouring Tasman District Council, by comparison, grew by 10.3% and recently overtook Nelson in total population, driven by greenfield development and retirees seeking a sunny seaside lifestyle. Many retailers, too, are focusing their efforts on the growing market in Richmond.
Nick Smith shows Chris Bishop the bike rack system on a Nelson eBus (Image: Nelson City Council)
Nelson is at a turning point, risking losing its regional crown to its historically smaller neighbour. Its land supply is constrained by the harbour, river and hills. The city recently passed Plan Change 29, a zoning reform which enabled eight-storey buildings in the inner city and city fringe, though intensification in other parts of the city was watered down after the council buckled to community opposition.
Revitalising the centre is a major theme of the campaign, with complaints of empty retail shops and rising street homelessness. Both leading candidates have urban development programmes on the agenda; Smith has highlighted an upgrade of the waterfront around Haven and Rocks Road, while Stallard emphasised more laneways, pedestrianisation and urban greening in the centre city.
And like most councils, everyone is concerned about rates. The council stuck to a 6.5% rates increase this year, less than most councils nationally but still higher than many residents would like. It followed a 7.0% increase in 2024 and 6.7% in 2023. Smith signed a pledge promising to keep rate increases under 5% per year unless there was a major natural disaster.
Speaking of natural disasters, the city is still recovering from the August 2022 floods, which triggered more than 550 slips and a state of emergency. In the aftermath, 104 homes were red-stickered. The council has spent millions upgrading river banks, repairing damaged infrastructure, and buying out some property owners. That storm is still on the minds of many voters. Stallard, particularly, has emphasised resilience and safer land use to reduce the risk of erosion and slips.
The race in a sentence?
Can the status quo management bring the change the city needs?
The nitty gritty
The Nelson City Conucil election is run using the single transferable vote system. Voting papers were delivered between September 9 and 22; if your voting papers have not arrived, you will need to cast a special vote. The last day to enrol (for a special vote) is October 10. The deadline for postal voting passed on October 7. If you still haven’t voted, you will need to drop your papers off at one of the ballot bin locations listed here.
Read more race briefings and other Spinoff coverage of the local elections here.