The 2025 Porirua City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Porirua, New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.
Voters elected the mayor of Porirua and 10 city councillors for the 2025âÂÂ2028 term of the Porirua City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.
Incumbent mayor Anita Baker won re-election to a third term.
The council introduced a MÃÂori 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 MÃÂori ward.
A majority of voters also voted in favour of exploring amalgamation with the Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Greater Wellington councils, in an indicative poll on the issue.
Voters in the city elected the mayor of Porirua and 10 city councillors across 3 wards. They also elected several members of the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
In May 2021, the Porirua City Council voted to establish a MÃÂori ward, with the MÃÂori ward first contested in the 2022 elections.
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and MÃÂori Wards and MÃÂori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing MÃÂori wards or constituencies. In August 2024, the council voted unanimously to affirm their decision to establish the MÃÂori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.
In May 2025, Porirua City Council voted to also hold an indicative referendum alongside the election regarding potential amalgamation of the council with Wellington City Council, Hutt City Council, Upper Hutt City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Parirua MÃÂori ward returned one councillor to the city council.
The Onepoto General ward returned five councillors to the city council.
The PÃÂuatahanui General ward returned four councillors to the city council.
Overall turnout was 40.7%, with 17,623 voting papers returned.
With final results, the following candidates were declared elected:
Incumbent mayor Anita Baker won re-election to a third term.
Incumbent deputy mayor Kylie Wihapi won re-election to the council by only 11 votes over second-place candidate Jess Te Huia. Te Huia filed for a recount. The Porirua District Court conducted the recount and subsequently disallowed two special votes from Wihapi, however, this still resulted in Wihapi winning re-election.
A majority of Porirua voters voted in favour of exploring amalgamation with the Wellington, Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt councils.