2025 Local Body Elections

It’s local Council elections year!
ICW’s ‘Meet the Candidates’ dates are:

  • Tue 2 September: 6.00-8.30pm
    ICW & VUWSA (Victoria University of Wellington Students Association) invite you to:
    ’Meet the Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward candidates'.
    St Peter's Church. 211 Willis Street, Wellington.
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  • Wed 3 September: 6-8.30pm
    ICW & Mt Victoria Residents Association invite you to:
    ’Meet the Greater Wellington Regional Council candidates and the Māori Ward candidates’
    St Peter's Church. 211 Willis Street, Wellington.
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  • Thu 11 September: 6-8.30pm
    ’Meet the Mayoral Candidates’
    St Peter's Church, 211 Willis Street, Wellington


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** COMPLETE OUR QUESTIONNAIRE ** 
to share your priorities and questions for the candidates

2025 timeline for the Council election

Local elections are held every 3 years - don’t miss the boat!

In Wellington City, residents and other ratepayers have the chance to vote for a Mayor and Council, community boards, and Greater Wellington Regional Council.

Voting is done by postal vote. Voting papers will be posted out on Tuesday 9 September and voting will close at 12noon on Saturday 11 October. Please make sure you can help shape the future of the city you want it to be by checking that you are enrolled, and then by voting when the time comes.

The key dates are:

  • June-September 2025: Are you enrolled / get enrolled

  • Friday 4 July 2025: candidate nominations open, Electoral Roll opens for public inspection

  • Friday 1 August 2025: candidate nominations close at 12 noon, Electoral Roll closes

  • Tuesday 9 September 2025: voting documents posted out, voting opens

  • Saturday 11 October 2025: voting closes at 12 noon

  • Saturday 11 October 2025: preliminary results available

  • Thursday 16–Sunday 19 October 2025: declaration of final results



WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?

Applications closed on 1 August.
These are the candidates.

Pukehīnau/Lambton Ward candidates
(11 candidates for 3 positions) as at 3 August 2025 (alphabetical by surname)

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Mayoral candidates
(12 candidates for 1 position) as at 3 August 2025 (alphabetical by surname)
(This recent Herald article provided a summary of each candidate)

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Greater Wellington Regional Council candidates
(11 candidates for 5 positions) as at 8 August 2025 (alphabetical by surname)

  • Sarah Free - Independent (former Councillor)

  • Glenda Hughes - Independent (former Councillor)

  • Alice Claire Hurdle - ACT Local: Real Change. Lower Rates

  • Tom James - Labour

  • Tom Kay - Independent

  • Mark Kelynack - Independent

  • Belinda McFadgen  

  • Henry Peach - Green Party

  • Daran Ponter - Labour

  • Yadana Saw - Green Party

  • Simon Woolf - Independent

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Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward
(3 candidates for 1 position - as at 8 August 2025)

  • Te Paea Paringatai

  • Matthew Reweti - Labour

  • Tory Whanau - Green Party

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What is the voting system used for the local body elections?

It’s called STV = ‘single transferable vote’

The following info is drawn from the NZ Electoral Commission

How to vote using STV With STV, voting is easy.
Instead of ticking the candidates you want to vote for - with STV you number the candidates in order of preference.
You put a "1" beside the candidate you like best, then a "2" beside your second choice, "3" by your third choice, and so on.
You can vote for as many or as few candidates as you like.

So what does the numbering do?
By giving the number "1" to a candidate, you are saying that this candidate is your ‘number one’ choice.
By nunbering the candidates in your preferred order of preference - 1,2,3 and so on - you are also saying which candidates you prefer and in what order. The system can then use the preferences you have indicated if, for example:

- your top choice doesn't have enough support to get in or,
- your top choice doesn't need all the votes they received to be elected.

What else do you need to know?
For your vote to be counted, you need to have indicated at least a '1'.
After '1', the next choice you make should be '2', and the next '3' etc..
There must only be one of each number - (eg you can't have two '2's etc!).

If you make a mistake, your vote will be valid up to when you made the error - for example, if you miss out a "4" and just rank 1, 2, 3 and 5, only your first three preferences will be valid.

Want to see how it works?
Check out a sample STV voting form.

Reminder:

  • You DON'T have to put a number beside each candidate !

  • So that means you only need to put your '1', '2', '3' etc numbers beside the candidates you really want to support.

  • BUT …. if you are thinking about writing ‘10’ beside a candidate that you definitely don’t want voted in, then you do need to write a number beside candidates up to that 10. If you break the sequence, the system only includes your votes up to the break.

  • And remember that if - as the votes are counted - your number ‘1’ candidate already has enough votes to be confirmed, then your vote for your 'number ‘2’ candidate will become very important, and so on.

  • This video about STV was produced by Palmerston North folks - it is a good explainer

And:

  • Remember that this is a postal vote - so you'll get an envelope with voting papers in your mail. 

  • They are sent out from 9 September onwards.

  • If you don’t have your voting papers by around 22 September, you can contact:

  • You can post your voting papers back free (do this by 7 October)

  • Or there will be places with drop-off boxes - for example, some supermarkets, libraries etc

First time voter?
Visit this Wellington City Council page!

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About the Māori Ward - from the WCC website

Wellington city is divided into six wards - five geographic wards and the Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward.
The Māori ward was established in 2021 to provide guaranteed Māori representation in Council decision-making.
Māori wards are like Māori electorates in Parliament.

  • Voters on the Māori roll are able to vote for Māori ward candidates, but not for candidates in any general ward.

  • Voters on the general electoral roll are able to vote for candidates in their general ward, but not for the Māori ward.

If you’re Māori, you can choose to enrol on the Māori roll or general roll for the 2025 election. If you wish to change rolls, you must do so before 10 July 2025.

Māori ward councillors have the same responsibility as general ward councillors to represent the entire community. All councillors make a declaration that they will carry out their duties in the best interests of the residents and ratepayers in the area they are elected to represent.
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About the Māori Ward Poll - from the WCC website

Following a recent law change, any council that established a Māori ward since 2020 without holding a poll, is required to hold a poll during their 2025 local elections. 

Anyone who is enrolled to vote, whether on the Māori or general electoral roll, is eligible to vote in the poll.

The poll question is:

  • I vote to KEEP Māori wards; or

  • I vote to REMOVE Māori wards.

The outcome of the poll will bind the Council for the 2028 and 2031 elections. After that, the Council may undertake a review of its Māori ward arrangements. No matter the outcome of the poll, the Māori ward will remain in place until the 2028 election.  

Voters will ALSO be asked whether they want to KEEP or REMOVE Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Māori constituency.

Voting opens on 9 September and closes at noon 11 October 2025. 
See How to vote for more information