2025 Hastings District Council election
Election in New Zealand
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The 2025 Hastings District Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in the Hastings District of New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.
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11 October 2025
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| Registered | 58,377[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 26,759 (45.84%)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mayoral election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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15 seats on the Hastings District Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voters elected the mayor of Hastings and 15 district councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Hastings District Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.
Councillor Wendy Schollum won the mayoralty, with fellow councillor Marcus Buddo coming in second-place.
The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election; in a referendum on its future held at this election (as part of a nation-wide series of referendums) voters elected to remove the Māori ward for future elections.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates opened
- 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates closed at 12 pm
- 9 September 2025: Voting documents were posted and voting opened
- 11 October 2025: Voting closed at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results published
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results declared.[2][3]
Background
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Positions up for election
Voters elected fifteen councillors in six wards, as well as the mayor of Hastings.[2] Voters that live in the rural communities of the district also elected members of the Rural Community Board, and six members of a licensing trust were elected by residents of the suburb of Flaxmere.[4]
Voters across the district also elected six members of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council.[5]
Cyclone Gabrielle
The wider Hawke's Bay region was devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 and the affects of it were still being felt in the district in 2025.[6]
Pre-election report
Under the Local Government Act 2002, councils must compile a pre-election report to be published and made available to voters. This report details the council's financial position, issues affected the district, and other important factors to consider when voting. The report is prepared by the chief executive of the council, independent of the mayor and councillors.[7]
Campaign
Mayor
Incumbent mayor Sandra Hazlehurst announced in May that she would not seek re-election to a fourth term.[8] By May, councillor Marcus Buddo had announced his candidacy for mayor, and councillor Damon Harvey was considering it.[8]
Buddo is a 30 year old, fourth generation farmer from Poukawa. Buddo emphasised reducing rates, handling the council's growing debt, cyclone recovery, and housing affordability as key issues for him.[6] Buddo says he has degrees in economics, public health, and politics.[6]
Third-term incumbent councillor Wendy Schollum announced her candidacy for mayor, launching her campaign on 24 June at St Andrew's Hall. She would campaign on creating a "smarter" council structure, better housing, and improving the local economy.[9]
Damon Harvey, a third-term incumbent councillor, also announced he would run for mayor; his second attempt. He said a priority was reducing cost to ratepayers. He said he was supported in his bid by Graeme Avery, Malcolm Dixon, Henare O’Keefe, Geraldine Travers, Ann Redstone, Luke Irving and Robyn McLean.[10]
Māori wards referendum
The council had voted unanimously in August 2024 to keep Māori wards in the district. This triggered a referendum to be held alongside the 2025 local elections, per the conditions of legislation passed by the incumbent National government.[11] Mayor Hazlehurst, who was pro-Māori wards, lamented the government's decision to require Māori wards. "We know our community and we should be trusted to make that decision", she said.[11] In 2021, the council asked residents and 76% of responses came back in support of Māori wards.[11]
A group called For Wards Hawke’s Bay formed to support the pro-ward position at the referendums in the wider Hawke's Bay region. The group held a meeting on 23 July in Clive chaired by regional council chair Rex Graham, with various speakers including local Presbyterian minister Jill McDonald, Māori ward councillor Heather Te Au-Skipworth, HB Multicultural Society president Rizwaana Latiff and Hayley Whittaker from the Public Service Association.[12]
Hawke's Bay Today asked the mayoral candidates whether they supported the group; Harvey said he supported any group that wanted to get the community engaged on important issues, Schollum said she supported Māori wards, Buddo said he was personally voting no on Māori wards but supported the group existing, Gibson said he didn't support Māori wards because they are undemocratic, and Wilson said he would support whatever the outcome of the referendum was.[13]
Debates and forums
Hastings Grey Power hosted a meet-the-candidates meeting on 7 August in Duart House in Havelock North.[14] It held a second event on 5 September at the Baptist Church Hall in Hastings.[14]
The Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce held a mayoral forum on 28 August at Hastings Boy's High School in Hastings.[14] All five mayoral candidates confirmed they would attend.[15]
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
Mayor
| Candidate[19] | Photo | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Buddo | .jpg) |
None | Councillor for the Kahurānaki ward since 2022[6][21] | |
| Steve Gibson | .jpg) |
Keeping rate rises to inflation (CPI) | Former Manawatū District councillor from 2007 to 2013.[22][9] Also ran for councillor in the Hastings-Havelock North general ward.[23] | |
| Damon Harvey | .jpg) |
Accountable to You | Incumbent councillor since 2016,[16] also ran in 2019.[10] | |
| Wendy Schollum | .png) |
Proven Leadership – Fresh Thinking | Incumbent councillor since 2017[16][9][24] | |
| Darrin Wilson | .png) |
None | Local businessman.[25] Also ran for councillor in the Hastings-Havelock North general ward.[23] | |
Council
Takitimu Māori ward
Takitimu Māori ward returned three councillors to the district council.[4]
| Candidate[19] | Photo | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siiam Daniel | None | [23] | ||
| Sarah Greening | None | Previously ran for council in 2022[23] | ||
| Kellie Jessup | None | Incumbent councillor since 2022[16][23] | ||
| Bevan O’Connor | Independent | Lawyer and owner of VisaMax NZ[23][26][27] | ||
| Heather Te Au-Skipworth | .jpg) |
None | Incumbent councillor since 2024[16][28][23] | |
Flaxmere general ward
Flaxmere general ward returned one councillor to the district council.[4]
.jpg)
Hastings/Havelock North general ward
Hastings/Havelock North general ward returned seven councillors to the district council.[4]
| Candidate[19] | Photo | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sayeed Ahmed | None | Previously ran for council in 2022[29] | ||
| John Bennett | None | |||
| Michael Fowler | .jpg) |
Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2022[28][16] | |
| Gareth (Gus) Freeman | Keep rate rises to inflation (cpi) | |||
| Steve Gibson | |
Keeping rate rises to inflation (CPI) | Former Manawatū District councillor from 2007 to 2013.[22][9] Also ran for mayor. | |
| Bernard Hickey | Independent | |||
| Rizwaana (Riz) Latiff | Independent | Previously ran for council in 2019 and 2022[30][26][31] | ||
| Yvonne Lorkin | Your Eyes, Ears and Energy in Council | [32] | ||
| Lucie-Jane McElwee | Fair rate rises = inflation rate | [26][33] | ||
| Simon J H Nixon | Independent | Incumbent councillor since 2010[16] | ||
| Nick Ratcliffe | .jpg) |
None | Green Party endorsed.[34][35] Green candidate for Tukituki in the 2023 general election.[36][26][37] | |
| Rion Roben | None | Previously ran for council in 2022[38] | ||
| Callum Ross | Independent | |||
| Jacqueline Supra | None (CARE for Hastings) | [26][39] | ||
| Debbie Ward | Listen. Learn. Advocate. | |||
| Kevin Watkins | .jpg) |
None | Incumbent councillor since 2001[28][16] | |
| Darrin Wilson | |
None | Also ran for mayor | |
Heretaunga general ward
Heretaunga general ward returned two councillors to the district council.[4]
As the number of candidates did not exceed the number of positions available, Corban and Montaperto-Hendry were elected unopposed.[23]
Kahurānaki general ward
Kahurānaki general ward returned one councillor to the district council.[4]
| Candidate[19] | Affiliation | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elisha Milmine | None | Former Hawke's Bay A&P Society general manager[23] | |
As the only candidate, Milmine was elected as the councillor for the Kahurānaki general ward unopposed.[40]
Mōhaka general ward
Mōhaka general ward returned one councillor to the district council.[4]
Withdrawn candidates
Opinion polling
Mayor
| Date | Polling organisation | Sample size | Buddo | Gibson | Harvey | Schollum | Wilson | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September | Curia[42] | 500 | 25% | 9% | 14% | 12% | 3% | 28% |
Results
Mayor
Councillor Wendy Schollum won the mayoralty, with fellow councillor Marcus Buddo coming in second-place.[43]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Wendy Schollum | 7,212 | 26.95 | (new) | |
| Independent | Marcus Buddo | 6,613 | 24.71 | (new) | |
| Independent | Steve Gibson | 5,810 | 21.71 | (new) | |
| Independent | Damon Harvey | 5,569 | 20.81 | (new) | |
| Independent | Darrin Wilson | 1,107 | 4.14 | (new) | |
| Informal votes | 42 | 0.16 | n/a | ||
| Blank votes | 406 | 1.52 | n/a | ||
| Turnout | 26,759 | 45.84 | n/a | ||
| Registered electors | 58,377 | ||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
Mōhaka general ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARE for Hastings | Derek Nowell-Usticke | 713 | 37.55 | (new) | |
| Independent | Pagen Goldstone | 610 | 32.12 | (new) | |
| Independent | Kirsty Scott-McLean | 518 | 27.28 | (new) | |
| Informal votes | 2 | 0.11 | n/a | ||
| Blank votes | 56 | 2.95 | n/a | ||
| Turnout | 1,899 | 47.79 | n/a | ||
| Registered electors | 3,974 | ||||
| CARE for Hastings gain from Independent | |||||
Heretaunga general ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Alwyn Corban† | elected unopposed | |||
| Independent | Hana Montaperto-Hendry† | elected unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 7,294 | ||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| † incumbent | |||||
Hastings-Havelock North general ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Steve Gibson | 7,618 | 53.73 | (new) | |
| Independent | Michael Fowler† | 6,699 | 47.25 | −9.54 | |
| Independent | Yvonne Lorkin | 6,560 | 46.27 | (new) | |
| Independent | Kevin Watkins† | 6,025 | 42.50 | −10.43 | |
| Independent | Callum Ross | 5,384 | 37.98 | (new) | |
| Independent | Simon J H Nixon† | 4,627 | 32.64 | −8.66 | |
| Independent Green | Nick Ratcliffe | 4,550 | 32.09 | (new) | |
| Independent | Rizwaana (Riz) Latiff | 4,534 | 31.98 | +0.80 | |
| Independent | Gareth (Gus) Freeman | 4,394 | 30.99 | (new) | |
| Independent | Lucie-Jane McElwee | 4,120 | 29.06 | (new) | |
| CARE for Hastings | Jacqueline Supra | 3,786 | 26.71 | (new) | |
| Independent | Darrin Wilson | 3,579 | 25.25 | (new) | |
| Independent | Bernard Hickey | 3,237 | 22.83 | (new) | |
| Independent | Rion Roben | 2,909 | 20.52 | −2.10 | |
| Independent | John Bennett | 2,824 | 19.92 | (new) | |
| Independent | Debbie Ward | 2,373 | 16.74 | (new) | |
| Independent | Sayeed Ahmed | 2,083 | 14.69 | −4.33 | |
| Informal votes | 27 | 0.19 | −0.02 | ||
| Blank votes | 224 | 1.58 | +1.09 | ||
| Turnout | 14,177 | 47.37 | +9.04 | ||
| Registered electors | 29,929 | ||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent Green gain from Independent | |||||
| † incumbent | |||||
Flaxmere general ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Henare O'Keefe | 682 | 54.17 | (new) | |
| Independent | Henry Heke† | 544 | 43.21 | +2.95 | |
| Informal votes | 2 | 0.16 | −0.59 | ||
| Blank votes | 31 | 2.46 | +0.21 | ||
| Turnout | 1,259 | 30.93 | +8.35 | ||
| Registered electors | 4,071 | ||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
| † incumbent | |||||
Kahurānaki general ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Elisha Milmine | elected unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 3,902 | ||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
Takitimu Māori ward
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Heather Te Au-Skipworth† | 2,580 | 73.71 | (new) | |
| Independent | Kellie Jessup† | 1,882 | 53.77 | +5.30 | |
| Independent | Siiam Daniel | 1,182 | 33.77 | (new) | |
| Independent | Sarah Greening | 1,161 | 33.17 | +5.81 | |
| Independent | Bevan O'Connor | 1,089 | 31.11 | (new) | |
| Informal votes | 1 | 0.03 | +0.03 | ||
| Blank votes | 40 | 1.14 | +1.14 | ||
| Turnout | 3,500 | 38.01 | +18.90 | ||
| Registered electors | 9,207 | ||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent hold | |||||
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
| † incumbent | |||||
Māori Ward Poll
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I vote to keep the Māori ward | 12,216 | 47.83 | |
| I vote to remove the Māori ward | 13,327 | 52.17 | |
| Total | 25,543 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 25,543 | 95.46 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,216 | 4.54 | |
| Total votes | 26,759 | 100.00 | |
| Source: [46] | |||
See also
Notes
- 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. Hastings District Council does not allow whānau, hapū, or iwi details to be used for the affiliation.[20]