A flood of last minute nominations has meant that all seats will be contested in the October elections for Nelson City and Tasman City Council.
The nominations closed at noon on Friday and after a few hours of processing, the final candidate lists in front of every advice was available online.
Nelson is guaranteed a new mayor, with incumbent Rachel Reese not eligible for re-election.
Nelson’s mayoral candidates include incumbent councilors Matt Lawrey, Rohan O’Neill-Stevens and Tim Skinner (with the support of Nelson Citizens Alliance), as well as former Nelson MP Nick Smith, Kerry Neal, John Wakelin and Money Free Party New Zealand founder Richard Osmaston.
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Osmaston also stands for mayor in Tasman (where he also represents the Lakes-Murchison district), and in five other districts.
Tasman’s other mayoral candidates include incumbent Tim King, Maxwell Clark, who previously championed Richmond businessman Mike Harvey, and musician Aly Cook for the Outdoors and Freedom Party.
Nelson City Council will shake up this election, with six of the current 12 councilors not seeking re-election. It is also the first election to use both the single transferable voice and the department system.
MARTIN DE RUYTER/STUFF
Nelson’s Mayor Rachel Reese is not up for re-election and guarantees a new mayor for the city.
The three open positions “generally” will be contested by 11 hopeful candidates, including incumbent councilors Skinner, O’Neill-Stevens and Rachel Sanson. Two Nelson Citizens Alliance (NCA) candidates are out on the loose, Zoe Byrne and Mani Rai. Cindy Batt, Margot Haley, Marie Lindaya, Brent Pahl, Mike Ward and Nelson Hospitality Association president Ian Williams stand independently.
Nine represent the central department, which has four vacancies. Peter Win, James Hodgson, Cleo Cowdrey and Murray Cameron face the NCA. Former Green Party candidate and Save the Maitai spokesman Aaron Stallard, current councilor Pete Rainey, Dai Mitchell, Sean Davis and Matty Anderson all stand as independents.
The most contentious neighborhood in Nelson is the Stoke-Tāhunanui, with 13 candidates competing for four vacancies. Incumbent councilors Trudie Brand and Mel Courtney both reside in this ward, along with former councilor Ian Barker. Independent candidates include Archdeacon Harvey Ruru, Rollo Campbell, Valmai Palatchie, Sarah Mitchington, Mike Gane, Lyndell Dodunski, Rhys Bromell and Matthew Benge. Two candidates, Allan Hoult and Harry Pearson, stand with the support of the NCA.
Two people have applied for the only vacancy in the Whakatū Māori branch: Bernie Goldsmith and Kahu Paki Pakic.
Voters in the Tasman district will be able to choose who will win the 13 council positions in October, with more candidates than vacancies in all five wards.
Golden Bay ward has two vacancies and five candidates – incumbent elected members Chris Hill and Celia Butler along with Quinn Lake, Phil Smith and James Wolfen-Duvall.
CHERIE SIVIGNON/Things
The local government election day is October 8 this year, the ballot papers are yet to be sent.
Four people compete for the lone vacancy in the Lakes-Murchison ward: incumbent ward councilor Stuart Bryant, incumbent Moutere-Waimea ward councilor Dean McNamara, Sharon Rogers and Richard Osmaston, who is also running for mayor.
Incumbent ward councilor Christeen Mackenzie, Mike Kininmonth, Dan Robinson, Daniel Shallcross, Jono Trolove, and Kelvin Woodley raise their hands for one of three job openings in the Moutere-Waimea Ward.
Incumbent ward councilors Mark Greening and Kit Maling along with former mayoral candidate Maxwell Clark, Glen Daikee, Jo Ellis, Ray Griffith, Rachel Stevenson, Adele Terrill, Joni Tomsett and Tim Tyler are chasing one of four vacancies in the Richmond ward.
In the Mouteka ward, eight people have been nominated for three vacancies – incumbent ward councilors Barry Dowler and Trindi Walker along with Richard Brown, Terina Graham, Nick Hughes, Barbara Lewando and Ian Palmer, along with the 2019 mayoral candidate and the incumbent chairman of the Motueka Community Board Brent Maru.
Maru, Hughes, Graham and Lewando are also in the running for one of four positions on the Motueka Community Board. They are up against seven other candidates – sitting board member David Armstrong, Dana Carter, Tania Corbett, Claire Hutt, Ellie Kamphuis, Margaret McCallum, Charmaine Petereit and Maureen Urwin.
With four candidates nominated to the Golden Bay Community Board – matching the number of vacancies – it looks like no election will be necessary. That means incumbent board chairman Abbie Langford and incumbent member Grant Knowles along with Henry Dixon and Robert Hewison are likely to be elected unanimously on Oct. 8.