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2025 Palmerston North City Council election

The 2025 Palmerston North City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Palmerston North, New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.

Voters elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Palmerston North City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.

Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.

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 keep the Māori ward.

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 results were published that afternoon
  • 12 October 2025: Preliminary results were published
  • 16–19 October 2025: Final results were declared.

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the city elected the mayor of Palmerston North and 15 city councillors in 2 wards. They also elected several members of the Horizons Regional Council.

Campaign

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

  • Pat Handcock, councillor since 2019

Mayor

Councillors

Te Pūao Māori ward

Te Pūao Māori ward returned two councillors to the city council.

Te Hirawanui general ward

Te Hirawanui general ward returned thirteen councillors to the city council.

Results

With the final results, the following candidates were declared elected:

Mayor

Incumbent mayor Grant Smith won re-election to a fourth term.

Council

Te Hirawanui general ward

Te Pūao Māori ward

Māori wards poll

See also

Notes

References