2025 Christchurch City Council election
Elections in New Zealand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025 Christchurch City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Christchurch, New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
11 October 2025
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
16 seats on the Christchurch City Council 9 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
.jpg)
Voters elected the mayor of Christchurch, 16 city councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the Christchurch City Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opened
- 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates closed at 12 noon
- 9 September 2025: Voting documents were posted and voting opened
- 11 October 2025: Voting closed at 12 noon and progress/preliminary results published
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results declared.[1][2]
Background
Positions up for election
Voters in the city elected the mayor of Christchurch, 16 councillors in 16 wards, and the members of six community boards.[a][3] They also elected several members of Environment Canterbury.[b][4]
Campaign
Mayor
Council
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
- Sara Templeton did not stand again in the Heathcote ward to focus on the mayoral campaign.[5]
- James Gough, councillor for the Fendalton ward since 2010, had initially indicated that he would run for re-election[6] but announced in late July that he would stand down to take up a role as executive director at The Terrace[7][8]
Mayor
Incumbent mayor Phil Mauger announced he would stand for re-election. He would face Heathcote ward councillor Sara Templeton and perennial candidate Tubby Hansen.[9][10]
Councillors
Each of the 16 wards returned one councillor to the city council.[11] The People's Choice stood candidates in nine of the wards, including their six incumbents.[12]
Harewood ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Keown | Independent Candidate for Harewood | Incumbent councillor[14][15] | |
As the only candidate, Keown was re-elected unopposed.[16]
Waimairi ward
| Candidate[10] | Photo | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam MacDonald |  |
Independent Citizens | Incumbent councillor[17][15] | |
As the only candidate, MacDonald was re-elected unopposed.[16]
Papanui ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Britten | The People's Choice | Incumbent deputy chair of the Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board.[12] Endorsed by the Green Party.[18] | |
| Victoria Henstock | Your Local Independent Community Voice | Incumbent councillor[19][15] | |
Fendalton ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Cartwright | Independent Citizens | Incumbent Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood community board member[20] | |
| Xavier Dickason | For Fendalton's Future | ||
| Diane Ellis | Independent | ||
Innes ward
Burwood ward
Coastal ward
.jpg)
Hornby ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Peters | Independent for Hornby | Incumbent councillor[26][15] | |
As the only candidate, Peters was re-elected unopposed.[16]
Halswell ward
Riccarton ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Chirnside | None | ||
| Tyla Harrison-Hunt | The People's Choice | Incumbent since 2022[12][29][15] | |
| Debbie Mora | Independent – Back to Common Sense | Incumbent board member of the Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton community board[30] | |
| Tony Simons | Independent – for Riccarton | Riccarton Bush-Kilmarnock Residents Association chair and former journalist[31] | |
| Sam Yau | Independent | ||
Spreydon ward
| Candidate[10] | Photo | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melanie Coker | The People's Choice – Labour | Incumbent since 2019[12][15] | ||
| Terry Craze | Centre-right. People-Powered Voice | Previously ran for council in 2022[32] | ||
| Tubby Hansen | .jpg) |
Leave Commonwealth, leave Anzus | Perennial candidate since 1969.[33] Also ran for mayor. | |
| Ben Yorston | None | |||
Central ward
| Candidate[10] | Photo | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayley Guglietta | .jpg) |
Truly Independent | Community advocate[34][35] | |
| Raf Manji | .jpg) |
Independent | Former councillor for the Fendalton-Waimairi Ward from 2013 to 2016 and Waimairi Ward from 2016 to 2019[36] | |
| Jake McLellan | .jpg) |
Labour | Incumbent since 2019[12][15] | |
| Mace Reid | .jpg) |
Independent | ||
| Tom Roud | .jpg) |
Alliance | Library worker and union delegate[37] | |
Cashmere ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare Marks | Independent | ||
| Tim Scandrett | Independent | Incumbent councillor[15] | |
Linwood ward
| Candidate[10] | Photo | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evan Baker | Independent | |||
| Ethan Gullery | .jpg) |
Independent | ||
| Yani Johanson | _(cropped_3x4).jpg) |
The People's Choice – Labour | Incumbent since 2007[12][15] | |
Heathcote ward
| Candidate[10] | Affiliation[c] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Herz Jardine | The People's Choice | Living wage advocate[12] | |
| Ian Kearney | Independent | Lawyer[38] | |
Banks Peninsula ward
Withdrawn candidates
Results
Summary
| Affiliation | Councillors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular vote | % | +/− | # | +/− | ||
| Independent | 51,493 | 59.30 | 7 | −1 | ||
| The People's Choice and Labour | 26,534 | 30.56 | 7 | +1 | ||
| ↪ The People's Choice | 15,193 | 17.50 | 4 | +1 | ||
| ↪ The People's Choice – Labour | 9,471 | 10.91 | 2 | 0 | ||
| ↪ Labour | 1,870 | 2.15 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Independent Citizens | 6,389 | 7.36 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Alliance | 407 | 0.47 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Informal | 138 | 0.16 | ||||
| Blank | 2,283 | 2.63 | ||||
| Turnout | 86,834 | |||||
| Registered | ||||||
| No majority | ||||||
| Independent holds mayoralty | ||||||
Composition
| Ward | Previous | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Phil Mauger | Phil Mauger | ||
| Banks Peninsula | Tyrone Fields | Tyrone Fields | ||
| Burwood | Kelly Barber | Kelly Barber | ||
| Cashmere | Tim Scandrett | Tim Scandrett | ||
| Central | Jake McLellan | Jake McLellan | ||
| Coastal | Celeste Donovan | Celeste Donovan | ||
| Fendalton | James GoughR | David Cartwright | ||
| Halswell | Andrei Moore | Andrei Moore | ||
| Harewood | Aaron Keown | Aaron Keown | ||
| Heathcote | Sara TempletonR | Nathaniel Herz Jardine | ||
| Hornby | Mark Peters | Mark Peters | ||
| Innes | Pauline Cotter | Pauline Cotter | ||
| Linwood | Yani Johanson | Yani Johanson | ||
| Papanui | Victoria Henstock | Victoria Henstock | ||
| Riccarton | Tyla Harrison-Hunt | Tyla Harrison-Hunt | ||
| Spreydon | Melanie Coker | Melanie Coker | ||
| Waimairi | Sam MacDonald | Sam MacDonald | ||
| R retired | ||||
Mayor
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Phil Mauger† | 60,137 | 55.96 | |
| Independent | Sara Templeton | 40,533 | 37.72 | |
| Independent | Thomas Healey | 1,714 | 1.59 | |
| Independent | Nikora Nitro | 1,525 | 1.42 | |
| Independent | Blair Anderson | 1,327 | 1.23 | |
| Independent | Phil Arps | 448 | 0.42 | |
| Independent | Tubby Hansen | 354 | 0.33 | |
| Independent | Peter Wakeman | 320 | 0.30 | |
| Informal | 105 | 0.10 | ||
| Blank | 1,008 | 0.94 | ||
| Turnout | 107,471 | 37.81 | ||
| Registered | 284,225 | |||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Council
Harewood ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Aaron Keown† | Unopposed | ||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Waimairi ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Citizens | Sam MacDonald† | Unopposed | ||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent Citizens hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Papanui ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Victoria Henstock† | 4,367 | 65.93 | |
| The People's Choice | Simon Britten | 2,105 | 31.78 | |
| Informal | 3 | 0.05 | ||
| Blank | 149 | 2.25 | ||
| Turnout | 6,624 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Fendalton ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Citizens | David Cartwright | 5,228 | 66.43 | |
| Independent | Xavier Dickason | 1,683 | 21.39 | |
| Independent | Diane Ellis | 640 | 8.13 | |
| Informal | 11 | 0.14 | ||
| Blank | 308 | 3.91 | ||
| Turnout | 7,870 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent Citizens hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Innes ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice | Pauline Cotter† | 3,273 | 50.81 | |
| Independent | Ali Jones | 3,027 | 46.99 | |
| Informal | 3 | 0.05 | ||
| Blank | 139 | 2.16 | ||
| Turnout | 6,442 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Burwood ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Kelly Barber† | 5,390 | 77.06 | |
| The People's Choice – Labour | Fionna Chapman | 1,455 | 20.08 | |
| Informal | 1 | 0.01 | ||
| Blank | 149 | 2.13 | ||
| Turnout | 6,995 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Coastal ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Celeste Donovan† | 4,605 | 58.34 | |
| Independent | Jo Zervos | 2,844 | 35.97 | |
| Independent | Taraia Brown | 333 | 4.21 | |
| Informal | 12 | 0.15 | ||
| Blank | 113 | 1.43 | ||
| Turnout | 7,907 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Hornby ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Mark Peters† | Unopposed | |
| Registered | |||
| Independent hold | |||
| † incumbent | |||
Halswell ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Andrei Moore† | 7,513 | 85.12 | |
| Independent Citizens | Dylan Smart | 1,161 | 13.15 | |
| Informal | 4 | 0.05 | ||
| Blank | 148 | 1.68 | ||
| Turnout | 8,826 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Riccarton ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice | Tyla Harrison-Hunt† | 1,657 | 40.17 | |
| Independent | Tony Simons | 1,139 | 27.61 | |
| Independent | Sam Yau | 630 | 15.27 | |
| Independent | Debbie Mora | 366 | 8.87 | |
| Independent | Mark Chirnside | 242 | 5.87 | |
| Informal | 16 | 0.39 | ||
| Blank | 75 | 1.82 | ||
| Turnout | 4,125 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Spreydon ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice – Labour | Melanie Coker† | 4,315 | 78.70 | |
| Independent | Ben Yorston | 883 | 16.10 | |
| Independent | Terry Craze | 410 | 7.48 | |
| Independent | Tubby Hansen | 99 | 1.81 | |
| Informal | 20 | 0.36 | ||
| Blank | 166 | 3.03 | ||
| Turnout | 5,483 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice – Labour hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Central ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jake McLellan† | 1,870 | 38.95 | |
| Independent | Raf Manji | 1,203 | 25.06 | |
| Independent | Hayley Guglietta | 941 | 19.60 | |
| Alliance | Tom Roud | 407 | 8.48 | |
| Independent | Mace Reid | 235 | 4.89 | |
| Informal | 42 | 0.87 | ||
| Blank | 103 | 2.15 | ||
| Turnout | 4,801 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Labour hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Cashmere ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Tim Scandrett† | 5,819 | 61.57 | |
| Independent | Clare Marks | 3,158 | 33.41 | |
| Informal | 5 | 0.05 | ||
| Blank | 469 | 4.96 | ||
| Turnout | 9,451 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| Independent hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Linwood ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice – Labour | Yani Johanson† | 3,701 | 72.20 | |
| Independent | Evan Baker | 867 | 16.91 | |
| Independent | Ethan Gullery | 443 | 8.64 | |
| Informal | 14 | 0.27 | ||
| Blank | 101 | 1.97 | ||
| Turnout | 5,126 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice – Labour hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Heathcote ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice | Nathaniel Herz Jardine | 5,206 | 57.35 | |
| Independent | Ian Kearney | 3,594 | 39.59 | |
| Informal | 7 | 0.08 | ||
| Blank | 270 | 2.97 | ||
| Turnout | 9,077 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice gain from Independent | ||||
Banks Peninsula ward
| Affiliation | Candidate | Vote | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The People's Choice | Tyrone Fields† | 2,952 | 71.88 | |
| Independent | Dave Dunlay | 1,062 | 25.86 | |
| Informal | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Blank | 93 | 2.26 | ||
| Turnout | 4,107 | |||
| Registered | ||||
| The People's Choice hold | ||||
| † incumbent | ||||
Notes
- Waimāero Fendalton-Waimairi-Harewood
- Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central
- Waihoro Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote
- Waipuna Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
- Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula
- 2 members each from the Christchurch North / Orēi, West / Ōpuna, Central / Ōhoko, and South / Ōwhanga constituencies).
- A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Christchurch City Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[13]