Race is on for majority of Waipā seats in elections
Three candidates have put their names in the ring to run for the 2025-28 Waipā mayoralty, and the race is on for four of the five council wards in the upcoming elections.
Nominations for Waipā candidates closed today at noon. Twenty-seven people are officially in the running for the 11 Council seats, and 22 are standing for the 10 places on Community Boards.
The mayoral race is between the incumbent, Susan O’Regan, and current councillors, Mike Pettit and Clare St Pierre.
St Pierre is also running for one of the two positions available representing the Pirongia and Kakepuku Ward on Council, against Les Bennett and Naomi Pocock.
Cambridge Ward, which serves the largest population, has 14 candidates competing for four available seats: Aidhean Camson, Mike Cater, Philip Coles, Jo Davies-Colley, Roger Gordon, Ian Hayton, Stuart Hylton, Pip Kempthorne, Karla Lugatiman, Dave Marinkovich, Stuart Matthews, Barry Quayle, Don Sanders and Hope Spooner.
Mike Montgomerie is uncontested in the lone Maungatautari Ward seat.
Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Ward has seven candidates running for the three spots – current councillors Lou Brown and Marcus Gower are up against Lyn Hunt, Graham Jull, Dean Taylor, Shane Walsh and Bernard Westerbaan.
Dale-Maree Morgan and Yvonne Waho are standing for the single Waipā Māori Ward seat.
In the race to join Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Community Board, Liam Bullen, Ange Holt, John Kopa, Sharon Stirling, Jill Taylor and John Wood will contest four seats, while Kane Titchener is standing unopposed for Kakepuku.
Thirteen people will compete for four Cambridge Community Board positions: Graeme Allen, Curt A Christiansen, Stewart Dromgool, Charlotte Fitzpatrick, Mitchell Jordan, Pip Kempthorne, Chris Minneé, Karen Morris, Corren Ngerengere, Selina Oliver, James Slyfield, Te Hiiri Taute and Gerda Venter. Les Bennett and Andrew Myers are going head-to-head for Maungatautari.
Alongside the 2025 local elections, Waipā will also be asked to vote in a binding poll on whether to keep or remove the Māori Ward from 2028. The poll will be included on this year's voting papers.
Voting papers will be sent out from Tuesday, September 9, and voting is open until noon on Saturday, October 11. You can drop off your voting papers at Council offices, libraries or at any official orange ballot box – keep an eye on our website for the locations. You can also post your vote in any NZ Post Box around the country.
