2024 Tauranga mayoral election

2024 Tauranga mayoral election
← 2019 20 July 2024 2028 →
Turnout42,632 (38.77%[c] Decrease1.64 pp)
 
Candidate Mahé Drysdale Greg Brownless
Affiliation None[a] None[b]
Vote count — —
 • First 10,147
23.8% 		5,785
13.57%
 • Final (14th) 16,606
38.95%
— 		10,510
24.65%
(Decrease 7.70 pp)
Map of first preference margin of victory by ward
Mayor before election

none

 Elected Mayor

Mahé Drysdale

The 2024 Tauranga mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of Tauranga as part of the 2024 Tauranga local elections. The election took place between 29 June and 20 July 2024, with the official results released on 25 July. It was the first election since the Minister of Local Government appointed a Crown Commission on 9 February 2021 to oversee all of Tauranga City Council's governance responsibilities. The election was held using the Single Transferable Vote system.[1]

Mahé Drysdale was elected as mayor.

Background

[edit]

The last mayor, Tenby Powell, was elected to the office in October 2019 but resigned in November 2020, eight months after he was unanimously censured by his council for an angry outburst.[2][3] Following further mayoral "outbursts,"[4][5] Powell publicly called for the Minister of Local Government to appoint a commission to replace the "dysfunctional" council.[6][7] The decision to cancel the election for a new mayor and councillors, and the appointment of a crown commission instead by Local Government minister Nanaia Mahuta was not without controversy. A legal opinion by law firm Russell McVeagh found her decision may have been "unlawful"[8] and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges called the decision "dramatic and draconian",[9] while saying that Powell quitting removed "a significant source of friction" and it was reasonable to assume the council would become more functional with the election of a new Mayor and Councillors.[10]

The 2022 local elections were cancelled by the government and the commission will remain in place until an election for members of the Tauranga City Council is held on 20 July 2024. Additionally, the Minister also decided to postpone the 2025 local election in Tauranga until 2028.[11] The council elected in 2024 will thus serve a four year term, a first for New Zealand.[12]

Key dates

[edit]

Key dates for the election are:[13]

  • 19 April: Last day to switch electoral roll.
  • 26 April: Nominations opened for candidates.
  • 24 May: Nominations close.
  • 29 June – 3 July: Voting papers delivered.
  • 29 June: Special voting begins.
  • 20 July: Polling day. Voting documents needed to be at council before voting closes at 12 noon. Preliminary results available as soon as all ordinary votes are counted.
  • 23–25 July: Official results, including all valid ordinary and special votes, declared.

Candidates

[edit]
Candidate Ticket (if any) Notes
Tanya Bamford-King Independent
Aureliu Braguta Independent
Greg Brownless Community Focus - Responsible Spending Mayor 2016–2019[14]
Andrew Caie Independent
Mahé Drysdale Olympic champion rower, grandson of former mayor Bob Owens[15]
Anthony Goddard
Chudleigh Haggett
Ria Hall Musician and television presenter[16]
Donna Hannah
BOP Hori Also stood in 2016[14]
Tim Maltby Our Rates are too High
Jos Nagels Visionary Leadership, Not Repeatership
Douglas Owens Independent Former Bay of Plenty regional councillor.[14] Son of former mayor Bob Owens, uncle of Mahé Drysdale[15]
John Robson[17] Principled; Professional; Democratic Councillor 2013-2016, 2018-2021[14][18]
Tina Salisbury People and Progress over Politics Deputy mayor 2020–2021[19]

Withdrawn

[edit]

Results

[edit]

The official results were released on 25 July,[24] showing Mahé Drysdale was elected as mayor.[25] Voter turnout was 38.77%,[25] which compares with a turnout of 40.28% at the 2019 election.[26]

2024 Tauranga mayoral election[25][27]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Strong Accountable Leadership Mahé Drysdale 23.98% 10147 10172 10183 10213 10291 10405 10492 10620 10846 11106 11943 12755 14324 16606
Community Focus - Responsible Spending Greg Brownless 13.67% 5785 5796 5803 5828 5869 5910 5977 6044 6118 6809 7576 8681 9764 10510
Ria Hall 16.09% 6808 6828 6858 6866 6872 6947 7022 7154 7496 7592 7731 7917 9077
People and Progress over Politics Tina Salisbury 12.04% 5096 5104 5115 5132 5155 5247 5330 5523 5810 6144 6699 7388
Our Rates Are Too High Tim Maltby 7.77% 3287 3294 3303 3348 3439 3528 3689 3760 3854 4525 5087
Independent Douglas Owens 8.29% 3508 3514 3519 3537 3566 3591 3643 3692 3775 4145
Principled; Professional; Democratic John Robson 7.12% 3012 3015 3021 3042 3058 3096 3168 3208 3271
Independent Andrew Caie 3.01% 1273 1278 1287 1293 1345 1427 1498 1646
Independent Tanya Bamford-King 2.12% 898 898 909 914 946 985 1024
Real Leadership, Not Repeatership Jos Nagels 1.86% 789 792 799 811 821 839
Anthony Goddard 1.69% 717 723 729 738 777
Aureliu Braguta 1.13% 480 481 488 493
Chudleigh Haggett 0.55% 237 242 246
Donna Hannah 0.34% 145 152
BOP Hori 0.33% 141
Valid: 42323   Spoilt: 129 + 180 blank   Quota: 1st iteration: 21,162; last iteration: 13,558  

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Ran on the ticket "Strong Accountable Leadership".
  2. ^ Ran on the ticket "Community Focus - Responsible Spending".
  3. ^ of eligible voters

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Elections 2024 > Information for voters". www.tauranga.govt.nz. Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ^ "'I made a mistake': Tauranga mayor told to apologise for 'outburst'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  3. ^ "SunLive – Mayor to apologise for "bullying comments" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell in informal meeting". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Tauranga mayor's profanity-laced flip-flop over quitting". Stuff.co.nz. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  6. ^ Shand, Matt (20 November 2020). "Tauranga mayor resigns, calls for commissioner to be appointed". Waikato Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Tauranga mayor's shock resignation: Tenby Powell calls for Government to step in". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  8. ^ "SunLive – Commissioners appointment labelled "unlawful" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. ^ Motion, Samantha (25 November 2020). "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  10. ^ Motion, Samantha (25 November 2020). "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council". Bay of Plenty Times.
  11. ^ "Dates for the Tauranga City Council Election in July 2024 and the Following Election". New Zealand Gazette. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  12. ^ Evans, Alisha (1 February 2024). "Tauranga City Council election: Four-year council term a first for New Zealand". Bay of Plenty Times. New Zealand Herald.
  13. ^ "Elections 2024". Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Gillespie, Kiri; Wilson, Megan (24 May 2024). "Tauranga election: Who's running and what you need to know about voting". NZ Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sylvester, Catherine (19 May 2024). "Tauranga election: Olympian Mahé Drysdale announces bid for mayor". Bay of Plenty Times. New Zealand Herald.
  16. ^ McConnell, Glenn. "Tauranga's star studded return to democracy". www.stuff.co.nz. Stuff. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  17. ^ Gillespie, Kiri (14 May 2024). "Tauranga City Council election: Several sacked councillors running again". New Zealand Herald.
  18. ^ Evans, Alisha (24 May 2024). "Tauranga City Council election hopefuls confirmed". SunLive. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  19. ^ Evans, Alisha (26 April 2024). "Tina Salisbury to run for Tauranga mayoralty". SunLive. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Dr. Eric Chuah Standing For Mayor Of Tauranga". scoop.co.nz. 17 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Eric Chuah". Facebook. 24 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Elections 2024". Tauranga City Council. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Elections 2024". Tauranga City Council.
  24. ^ "Elections 2024". Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  25. ^ a b c "2024 Council Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  26. ^ Wilson, Megan. "Mount Maunganui's Jen Scoular only woman elected in Tauranga City Council 2024 election". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  27. ^ "2024 Council Elections" (PDF). Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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