{"id":77794,"date":"2025-10-14T12:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T12:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/77794\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T12:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T12:38:08","slug":"auckland-councils-2025-elections-initial-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/77794\/","title":{"rendered":"Auckland Council’s 2025 Elections: Initial Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

We now have our first glimpse of the shape of the new council<\/a> following the local body election on Saturday. The results emerge in three stages: \u201cprogress results\u201d landed on Saturday afternoon, and \u201cpreliminary results\u201d on Monday afternoon, with special votes (and thus the final outcomes) to come on Friday.<\/p>\n

We aim to dig into the results in more detail, but a few initial takes for now\u2026<\/p>\n

Completely unsurprisingly, Wayne Brown easily regained the mayoralty, with over 50% of the vote. Interestingly, this is actually the first election since Auckland was amalgamated in which a candidate has received over 50% of the vote. The previous highest result was Len Brown in 2010, with just over 49%.<\/p>\n

This election set another record too, and not a good one. The general downward trend in voter turnout continued to a new low, with fewer than 29% of eligible voters actually voting as of Monday\u2019s results. With special votes are still to be counted, that number may go up a little. At the last election, there were around 7,000 special votes in Auckland \u2013 so a similar number again would bring turnout up to just over 29%. That\u2019s still low compared to previous years, as this chart shows.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Moreover, voting numbers were down despite the voting period being extended this year. The red line on the chart below shows 2025, with an extra week of voting time compared to previous elections. Note too that 2010, the first Supercity election, had the highest turnout at 51%.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Why the low turn-out? No doubt there will be lots of post-mortems. Was it a case of people putting their voting forms in the \u201cI\u2019ll deal with that later\u201d pile, and then forgetting? Or was it (more likely) related to this seeming to be a particularly boring election? With Wayne Brown seemingly a shoo-in, there was no high-profile \u2018horse-race\u2019 at the top. That said, several ward races were of key interest, as noted by Hayden Donnell for the Spinoff<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With a few good exceptions, it was also notable how little media attention this election had \u2013 in particular from the nominal paper of record, the NZ Herald. We understand that the Herald\u2019s council-beat reporter, Bernard Orsman, was even on leave during the election period.<\/p>\n

Whatever you think of the election outcome, that the question of who will (and who should) govern the country\u2019s biggest and most important city isn\u2019t considered important enough to cover in depth feels like a massive indictment of both the state of the media, and public attitudes towards our democracy.<\/p>\n

By contrast, Wellington\u2019s elections drew a lot more media attention, thanks to the Ray Chung scandal, and the ongoing attempts to foment opposition to things like cycleways. Paradoxically, this seems to have resulted in both the highest turnout since 2016<\/a> \u2013 and also in more people being elected who support things like cycleways. It\u2019s also plausible that the STV approach to vote-counting is a stronger motivator, and something to be considered here.<\/p>\n

Back to T\u0101maki Makaurau: around our council table there will be five new faces, thanks to retirements and one sitting councillor losing their seat. As the Herald reported<\/a> yesterday, from the Mayor\u2019s perspective:<\/p>\n

Brown said that apart from Victoria Short, who stood on his Fix Auckland ticket, and John Gillon (North Shore), he barely knew the three other new faces, Matt Winiata (Manurewa-Papakura), Bo Burns (Howick), and Sarah Paterson-Hamlin (Whau).<\/p>\n

He plans to meet each one of them over the coming days and thinks the new council is a \u201clittle bit better\u201d than last term.<\/p>\n

By this, he meant he was pleased to see Short unseat one of the long-standing \u201cAlbanians\u201d, Wayne Walker, and welcomed the defeat of two-time mayoral candidate and \u201ckeyboard warrior\u201d Craig Lord, who lost to Paterson-Hamlin in Whau. As for Gillon, he said he plans to work with him, despite finding him \u201ca bit negative\u201d.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t yet know how these new councillors will perform; but at first glance, the Mayor is probably right that he\u2019ll have a little bit of an easier time getting policy delivered.<\/p>\n

Of the new councillors, Sarah Paterson-Hamlin becomes the fifth person to represent Whau, with the seat changing hands almost every election<\/p>\n

Coming back to the issue of media coverage, one sitting councillor who did get a lot of air-time in the last few months was Christine Fletcher, largely for her comments about housing policy. While she was re-elected, it was arguably the worst result of her six elections. As with Wellington, perhaps the lesson is that being constantly negative isn\u2019t as appealing to voters.<\/p>\n

Alf Filipaina also joins Fletcher in being elected six times, and they are the only two councillors who have been around the table continuously since amalgamation in 2010. Other long-serving councillors include John Watson and Mike Lee, who have each been elected five times (Lee returned in 2022 after losing his seat, promising one more term), and four who are now starting their fourth terms: Daniel Newman, Desley Simpson, Greg Sayers and Richard Hills.<\/p>\n

In the coming weeks and months, we\u2019ll learn what roles Wayne Brown gives each of these councillors, such as which committees they\u2019re on \u2013 but at least one is already confirmed<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also what Brown called a coronation later this month, when councillors get sworn in at the Auckland Town Hall, and the \u201cbollocks of setting up committees\u201d, giving little away on that front other than \u201cRichard Hills will still run planning because he does such a good job\u201d.<\/p>\n

A note from Patrick Reynolds<\/p>\n

In my run for Councillor of Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf, sadly I was not able to get ahead of veteran campaigner Mike Lee, and Friday\u2019s special votes are unlikely to change this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Preliminary results for the Council seat of Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf ward as of Monday 13 October (special votes yet to come)<\/p>\n

However, otherwise it was a great night for City Vision and its progressive kaupapa. City Vision runs council candidates in two wards \u2013 Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf and Albert-Eden-Puket\u0101papa, where Julie Fairey was returned as Councillor, and now with more votes than the other returned incumbent, Christine Fletcher, whose usually massive majority was significantly lowered. CV also runs candidates in three local boards under those two wards. Of the three, City Vision looks set to control two: dominating the Waitemat\u0101 Local Board 5-2, and a 5-3 majority in Albert-Eden. Whereas Puket\u0101papa Local Board currently has two City Vision candidates to four C&R; but if one more makes it through, which is possible, that\u2019ll be a huge improvement on the last time across the board.<\/p>\n

Local elections are of course not formal referenda on single issues; it is much more complex than that, especially with low engagement and media disinterest. However, there are still some interesting conclusions that can be drawn.<\/p>\n

As with Wellington, where election issues received a great deal of coverage, no matter how vigorously the media platformed angry opponents of changes like safe streets and cycleways, the result was that proponents of progress did better in the election.<\/p>\n

Wellington now has an even bigger Labour\/Green majority around the council table. And up here, both City Vision local board teams have significantly improved their positions, a positive outcome for a large swathe of the isthmus (with further progressive wins in adjacent areas like Whau.)<\/p>\n

In other words, despite a barrage of headlines over recent years, and relentless attempts at derailment (including by the re-elected councillor for Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf), it seems that multi-modal street upgrades like Pt Chev, Meola Road, Great North Road, the Inner West links, Project K, and Victoria St, not to mention the so-called \u2018destruction\u2019 of the city centre via CRL works and Quay St, Queen St, Te Ha Noa, and Te Komititanga\u2026 are not all that \u201ccontroversial\u201d after all\u2026 and in fact may be popular?<\/p>\n

The Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf councillor vote is also pretty stark on another defining issue: you have to get all the way down to the fourth-placed candidate to find the first one who ran on a \u201clow rates\/ low services\u201d platform. Clearly, as a policy plank, this is completely unpopular in Waitemat\u0101 & Gulf, getting only about 10% of the votes at best (if you combine Loan and Bryant\u2019s share).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s reassuring to know that voters value local services and understand they have to be funded somehow.<\/p>\n

In terms of my result, I am of course extremely disappointed personally and for the city. I want to thank my fantastic team and supporters \u2013 we gave it our best shot. I will continue to work for the city I love and have so much faith in, in other roles.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Patrick<\/p>\n

Editorial post-script<\/p>\n

Further to Patrick\u2019s point about the popularity of supposedly \u201ccontroversial\u201d projects \u2013 it\u2019s striking that, compared to 2022, City Vision not only held onto the \u014cwairaka division of Albert-Eden, they extended their lead compared to last time.<\/p>\n

This voting area is of course home to the Pt Chev\/ Meola Road project, which was the subject of a significant number of headline-grabbing stories (as well as a successful Media Council complaint):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Albert-Eden Local Board (\u014cwairaka division): preliminary 2025 results (top) and 2022 final results (bottom) show that City Vision not only retained seats, but widened the gap.<\/p>\n

And, in the Maungawhau division of the same Local Board area, where the headlines have been more about housing, City Vision looks to have gained a seat (pending special votes) as well as closing the gap:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Albert-Eden Local Board (Maungawhau division): preliminary 2025 results (top) and 2022 final results (bottom) show City Vision potentially gaining a seat while also closing the gap.<\/p>\n

Similarly, take a look at the results for Waitemat\u0101 Local Board, in whose rohe sit a number of other headline-grabbing projects like K Rd, Queen St, Quay St, Victoria St (Te Ha Noa), Project K, Great North Rd, Westmere streets, and half of Meola Rd, and the almost-complete CRL works. Here, City Vision secured a clear majority of seats, with the two incumbent C&R candidates that were returned dropping way down the list. An especially impressive performance by three new City Vision candidates Wilson, Elliott, and Kennedy:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Preliminary results for Waitemat\u0101 Local Board 2025, showing City Vision gaining five seats at the top of the slate, with two C&R candidates next.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Connor, whose advocacy was so instrumental in securing a better outcome for Project K, did well but alas did not quite make the cut.<\/p>\n

And below are the preliminary numbers for Puket\u0101papa Local Board, to round out Patrick\u2019s report above. If the special votes were to lift one more City Vision candidate above the line, this board would be equally split. When this situation has occurred before on even-numbered boards (e.g. Albert-Eden), the two \u201cparties\u201d have agreed to take turns holding the chair across the term\u2026 leading to interesting outcomes when the chair exercises their casting vote.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Preliminary results for Puket\u0101papa Local Board 2025, showing City Vision with two seats (same as last time), but with special votes yet to come.<\/p>\n

Regardless of the results, kudos and our thanks to everyone who ran and raised the quality of conversations about what our city is, and what it can be.<\/p>\n

In future posts, we\u2019ll take a closer look at other outcomes, and reflect more on what this all means for the next few years. In the meantime, we\u2019re very keen to hear your thoughts on what you see in the results from across the city. Lots to discuss!<\/p>\n

This post, like all our work, is brought to you by the Greater Auckland crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you\u2019d like to support our work, you can\u00a0join our circle of supporters here<\/a>, or support us on\u00a0Substack.<\/a><\/p>\n

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