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2025 Whanganui District Council election

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

Voters elected the mayor of Whanganui, 12 district councillors, and other local representatives for the 2025–2028 term of the Whanganui District Council. Postal voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.

The council voted to introduce a Māori ward at this election; its future was decided in a referendum on the issue, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums.

Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term.

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.

Background

Positions up for election

Voters in the district elected the mayor of Whanganui, 12 councillors in 2 wards, and the members of the Rural Community Board. They also elected members of the Horizons Regional Council.

Campaign

Mayor

In early October, incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe drew controversy when he attended a candlelit vigil for American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, following said activist's assassination. Tripe said he regretted his comments at the vigil, saying he "naïvely" went to the event after being invited and that he did not know that Kirk was a divisive figure. He was quoted as saying that "Charlie Kirk shed his blood for us" and that "it is our call to act on what Charlie Kirk was doing, boldly."

List of candidates

Incumbents not seeking re-election

  • Charlie Anderson, councillor since 2013
  • Helen Craig, deputy mayor and councillor since 2013.
  • Jenny Duncan, councillor since 2013

Mayor

Councillors

Whanganui Māori ward

Whanganui Māori ward returned two councillors to the district council.

Whanganui General ward

Whanganui General ward returned ten councillors to the district council.

Results

Overall turnout was 50.32%, with 17,024 voting papers returned.

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

Mayor

Incumbent mayor Andrew Tripe was re-elected to a second term.

Council

Whanganui General Ward

Whanganui Māori Ward

Māori Ward Poll

See also

Notes

References