Results for the Whakatāne District elections for Mayor, Council and Community Board for the
2022-25 triennium have been finalised this evening. 

Governance Manager and Deputy Electoral Officer Cindy Butt says the final results confirm the positions of the successful candidates. “The final results have shown no changes to the outcome of the preliminary results and the new Mayor, Councillors and Community Board representatives have been elected.”

“The Mayor and Councillors will be sworn in at the Inaugural Council Meeting which commences with a pōhiri at Te Mānuka Tūtahi marae on Thursday, 20 October,” she notes. “This is an important ceremony and ensures that elected members commit to serving the entire District, and not just the constituency in which they were elected.”

“Following their inauguration, the Mayor and Councillors will take up their official duties.”

Cindy points out that local councils have many moving parts, and a considerable training and induction process for elected members is now underway. “Elected members are required to understand the mechanisms of local democracy and need to quickly develop a good knowledge of all functions and services that Council provides for its communities, including how those are funded.”
She adds, “Local government is in an exciting season of change as we navigate the complexities of central government reform, so while we’re entering the first triennium in which we have Māori wards, there will be new learnings for all elected members.”

Vacancies for the Tāneatua and Murupara Community Boards will need to be filled with a by-election which will be held on 17 February 2023.

A final declaration of results is available at whakatane.govt.nz/beagamechanger.