Had the results stayed as they were, Grant, who has been living as a trans woman since 1971, would have become the first transgender mayor since Georgina Beyer as well as the country’s oldest mayor.
Kaipara’s mayoralty race was just as close, with preliminary results showing Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen beating Snow Tane by five votes.
Third placed Jason Smith, who has been elected mayor twice before, has a vote count just 31 behind leader Larsen.
However, controversy has clouded the results after outgoing Mayor Craig Jepson called an emergency meeting in a bid to lodge an election complaint.
Jepson said he had serious concerns about irregularities in the election process and wanted councillors to join him in lodging a complaint and requesting an investigation.
The meeting was adjourned after just 25 minutes after a 76-year-old member of the public in an RNZAF cap and blazer approached the council table and refused to move.
Whangārei‘s race for mayor was slightly less tight than those already mentioned, with independent Ken Couper provisionally elected ahead of second-placed Vince Cocurullo by 307 votes.
An extremely tight race in Hastings meant the mayoralty was decided by special votes.
The final results declared Wendy Schollum as the new mayor, finishing 599 votes ahead of her closest rival, Marcus Buddo.
Wendy Schollum has thanked Hastings for electing her as mayor.
Buddo chose not to concede after the preliminary results were released and waited for the final results.
Preliminary results gave Schollum a lead of 545 votes over Buddo, which she ultimately extended in the final results.
Big upsets
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau will be out of office after she failed to win the election for the Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward, losing out to Labour’s Matthew Rewiti.
Whanau pulled out of the mayoral race after incoming Mayor Andrew Little decided to run. She said she would focus on returning as a councillor.
Incoming Wellington Mayor Andrew Little and former Mayor Tory Whanau. Photos / Mark Mitchell
This result brings an end to Whanau’s turbulent three years as mayor of the capital city, including false sexual rumours from other council members such as mayoral candidate Ray Chung.
Chung finished third in the race for Wellington Mayor, but did secure election to the Wharangi/Onslow-Western General Ward.
Ray Chung failed to be elected as Mayor of Wellington, but was voted to be a councillor in Wharangi/Onslow-Western General Ward. Photo / Ethan Manera
Elsewhere, a 24-year mayoral stint in Upper Hutt for Wayne Guppy comes to an end after his loss to challenger Peri Zee by more than 1500 votes.
Wayne Guppy was first elected as Upper Hutt Mayor in 2001. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Other incumbent mayors to lose their positions include Dunedin’s Jules Radich, who finished fourth in voting; Sam Broughton in Selwyn, who received nearly 14,000 fewer votes than eventual winner Lydia Gliddon; while Kirsten Wise in Napier lost her role to Richard McGrath.