Western Bay Mayor James Denyer has been re-elected and will serve his second term.

Voting closed at midday and 85 per cent of votes have now been counted.

Progress results show James Denyer received 3699 votes ahead of Margaret Murray-Benge with 2256 votes and Rodney Joyce who received 1585 votes.

Darlene Dinsdale will be the district’s first Maōri ward councillor, progress results show.

Allan Sole and Rodney Joyce have been re-elected as Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward councillors.

Newcomer Graeme Elvin will join current councillors Margaret Murray-Benge and Tracey Coxhead in the Kaimai ward.

In the Maketu-Te Puke ward, Grant Dally and Laura Rae have been re-elected.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

First-time councillor Shane Beech will take the third Maketu-Te Puke seat; he had to pull out of the 2022 election last minute for health reasons.

Denyer, 49 said he was “extremely happy and relieved” to be re-elected.

He found out whilst on the maiden voyage of the Waihī Beach Coastguard’s new boat after it was blessed earlier today.

“We were going full bore in the harbour when the call came through, which I could barely hear.”

Also on board were Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward councillor Allan Sole, who was also re-elected and Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.

Denyer lives in Katikati with his partner and young son.

He previously said his three priorities for the next term were transport, housing and the cost of living.

Better transport connections and more housing could be supported if a regional deal was signed, Denyer said.

The sub-region, including Tauranga, was one of three areas to sign a memorandum of understanding for a regional deal with the Government in July.

“Spending smartly and prudent financial management” would help with the cost of living, he said.

Progress results don’t include the special votes or any voting papers received on Saturday morning, which means the initial results could change.

The preliminary results will be announced Sunday evening. This tally includes all ordinary voting papers but not special votes.

Final results for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council are due to be announced between October 14 and 17.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council final results would be announced between October 16 and 19.

Story continues below blog

Read on for the latest local election 2025 progress results and updates from the Bay of Plenty Times, SunLive, Rotorua Daily Post and Waikato Herald newsrooms. Progress results are subject to change. Key updates:

• All Bay of Plenty mayors are poised for re-election.
• They include Tania Tapsell in Rotorua, and James Denyer in Western Bay of Plenty Mayor, as well as the three Eastern Bay mayors.
• Former National MP Tim Macindoe is the new Hamilton Mayor.

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6.47 pm:  New mayor for Waikato District

Waikato District mayoral frontrunner Aksel Bech said he is pleased by the progress results, after a previous unsuccessful tilt at the role

"There were some learnings from the last time," he told the Waikato Herald.

Bech replaces Jacqui Church as mayor, receiving more than twice her vote tally so far.

He plans to tackle the affordability crisis that was raised with him on the campaign trail and to ensure rates are kept under control.

Aksel Bech. Photo / Supplied.

"It is not easily done."

Empowering the community to play a part in local democracy would be front and center, along with ensuring the new water organisation was able to "stand up", he said.

He is celebrating the win with his wife and daughters.

Bech said while he was entering a politically divisive climate as mayor, he wanted to work with all members of his community.

"They are passionate about their community."

Bech also wanted to thank his supporters and everyone who helped him during the campaign.

6.30 pm:  Big changes for Waikato Regional Council

Preliminary results show significant change at the Waikato Regional Council, with three new councillors elected and seven successful candidates running on the Rates Control ticket.

The early count includes almost all votes, though special votes and ballots delivered to council offices today are still to be tallied.

Official results are due between October 16 and 19.

Two councillors were returned unopposed in the Māori constituencies: Kataraina Hodge for Ngā Tai ki Uta and Tipa Mahuta for Ngā Hau e Whā.

Departing chair Pamela Storey has not been re-elected based on preliminary results. Deputy chair Bruce Clarkson and councillor Clyde Graf also missed out.

Chief executive Chris McLay thanked the outgoing councillors for their service, saying Storey had “led the council through a time of significant central government reform and worked hard for the region".

He said the new council faced real challenges ahead, including the impacts of legislative reform and cost-of-living pressures, but would work with partners, stakeholders and communities “to make the Waikato region even better.”

In the Hamilton general constituency, Angela Strange, Chris Hughes, Jennifer Nickel and Ben Dunbar-Smith have been elected. 

Mich’eal Downard has taken the Taupō-Rotorua seat, and Warren Maher leads in Thames-Coromandel.

Robert Cookson and Keith Holmes are ahead in the Waihou constituency, while Gary McGuire and Noel Smith have been elected in Waikato. 

In Waipā-King Country, Garry Reymer and Stu Kneebone top the preliminary count.

6.07 pm: Waikato Bay of Plenty Māori wards update

Western Bay of Plenty, Taupō, Thames, Hauraki, Matamata-Piako and Ōtorohanga have voted to remove their wards, based on the provisional results.

Hamilton, Rotorua, Kawerau and Whakatāne have voted to keep their wards.

6.01 pm: BOP regional council progress results - Rotorua, Ōkūrei, EBOP

Newcomers Raj Kumar and Anna Grayling will be the Rotorua Constituency councillors on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council,  ousting long-serving councillor Lyall Thurston.

Allan Iwi Te Whau is the new Ōkūrei Māori constituency councillor.

For the Eastern Bay of Plenty Constituency, the councillors are Malcolm Campbell and Sarah Van der Boom. 

Mawera Karetai is the new Kōhi Māori Constituency for the area.

Anna Grayling. Photo / Supplied.

5.54 pm: BOP regional council progress results - WBOP, Tauranga, Mauao

Bay of Plenty Regional Council progress results are in and there is a mix of new and familiar faces.

Former Western Bay of Plenty deputy mayor John Scrimgeour has been elected to the Western Bay constituency alongside current regional councillor Ken Shirley.

Current councillor Stuart Crosby is joined by Tim Maltby, Kate Graeme and Glenn Dougal in the Tauranga Constituency.

Two current councillors are in a tight race for the final Tauranga spot - Andrew von Dadelszen has a five-vote lead over Kat Macmillan, so this result may change.

Matemoana McDonald has been re-elected to the Mauao Māori Constituency.

New regional councillor Glenn Dougal. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

5.49 pm: Trevor Maxwell has become New Zealand’s longest-ever serving councillor, after being re-elected to Rotorua’s Māori ward.

That will take him to 51 years of service by the end of his term.

“I'm quite proud and very, very honoured,” he told the Rotorua Daily Post at the playground near his Ohinemutu home this afternoon. 

The councillor, who is in his late 70s, posed for photographs on a swing. 

He said he was also pleased that Rotorua had voted to keep Māori wards.

“That is also a wonderful thing for us here, because it could easily have gone the other way.”

Trevor Maxwell this afternoon. Photo / Supplied.

5.41 pm:  Former MP Tim Macindoe has been confirmed as Hamilton's new mayor.

Macindoe said he recieved a call from council chief executive Lance Vervoort with the news.

He says he is "absolutely elated and very honoured" by the result.

Tim Macindoe with former Hamilton City Mayor Margaret Evans. Photo / Supplied.

5.20 pm: In another Waikato mayoralty upset, former councillor Aksel Bech looks set to take the Waikato District mayoralty from Jacqui Church.

Other councils in the region where incumbent mayors trail challengers include Taupō, Thames-Coromandel and Waipa.

4.48 pm: Faylene Tunui has been returned as mayor in Kawerau. 

This will be her second term.

The district voted to keep its Māori ward by a large majority of 1247 in support to 592 wishing to remove.  -RNZ

4.44 pm: Mayor takes re-election phone call on Coastguard boat

Western Bay of Plenty District Mayor James Denyer found out he was re-elected while out on the Waihī Beach Coastguard’s new boat. Photo / Supplied.

4.39 pm:  Hamilton leaning towards keeping Maaori Ward

Progress results show Tim Macindoe as the frontrunner to become Hamilton's new mayor.

However, the council called today 'Super Saturday' and said the volume of last-minute votes is expected to change the final standings, especially of the East Ward.

If Macindoe is confirmed as mayor, then the standings in the East Ward will have to be recalculated under the STV voting system.

Progress results for the Maaori ward poll show a small majority of Hamiltonians voted to retain the Kirikiriroa Maaori Ward.

This result could also change due to the large voter turnout on Super Saturday.

Twelve candidates vied for the role of mayor after incumbent Paula Southgate stood down. - RNZ

Tim Macindoe. Photo / Supplied.

4.22 pm: More Moore for Ōpōtiki

David Moore looks set to return as Ōpōtiki mayor, with more than twice as many votes as his closest rival, Curley Keno.

He has 1825 votes to Keno's 658, based on 90% of votes counted.

David Moore. Photo / Supplied.

4.20 pm: Ōtorohanga elects new mayor

Ōtorohanga District has a new mayor, Rodney Dow.

The role was up for grabs after being held for 12 years by Max Baxter.

The district has also voted to remove the Māori Ward by a tight margin of currently 141 votes.

The district has two Māori Ward seats.

Transit and special votes are still to be counted, but so far the voter return in the district is 40.46 percent. -RNZ

4.17 pm: New-old mayor for Matamata

Ash Tanner looks set to take the reins of the Matamata-Piako District again, after a one-term break.

The district's former mayor, who stepped down in 2022, is leading the mayoral race in 2025.

Tanner sits on 4260 votes, ahead of incumbent Mayor Adrienne Wilcock on 3481, according to progress results. 

Nearly 85% of the votes have been counted.

In the district's Matamata Ward, James Sainsbury, Sue Whiting, Vincent Andersen and Rewiti Vaimoso are leading for the four vacancies.

Morrinsville Ward has James Thomas, Grace Bonnar, Bruce Dewhurst and Dayne Horne leading for the four vacancies.

Andrew Peter McGiven, Greg Marshall and Tyrel Glass lead in Te Aroha.

The district has voted to remove Māori wards with, 4709 in favour of axing then and 2712 voting to keep them

3.46 pm: South Waikato re-elects mayor

In South Waikato, mayor Gary Petley has been provisionally re-elected, receiving 1789 votes so far and leading Zed Lationovic on 1676 and Sandra Wallace on 1597.

South Waikato Mayor Gary Petley. Photo / Supplied.

In the Tirau Ward, Kerry Purdy was re-elected unopposed.

Sandra Wallace, Dave Shaw and Zed Lationovic lead the four vacancies in Putāruru Ward. 

In Tokoroa Ward, Maria Te Kanawa, Ani (Ratu) Lipscome, Michael Thomas, Elvisa Van Der Leden, Thomas Lee and Josiah Teokotai lead.

The voter return so far was sitting at 36.25%.

3.42 pm Waipā ward results

In the Waipā District Council ward elections, Clare St Pierre and Les Bennett are in the lead to fill the Pirongia and Kakepuku Ward's two vacancies.

Cambridge Ward has four vaccines with Jo Davies-Colley, Roger Gordon, Pip Kempthorne and Hope Spooner leading.

In the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi Ward, Shane Walsh, Dean Taylor and Marcus Gower lead, while Dale-Maree Morgan leads the Waipā Māori Ward.

Mike Montgomerie was elected unopposed in the Maungatautari Ward.

3.40 pm New mayor for Taupō

Progress results for the 2025 Taupō District Council elections show John Funnell has been elected as the new mayor of Taupō District, with 4575 votes.

He was followed by Zane Cozens with 3461 votes, David Trewavas with 2400 votes and Kevin Taylor with 2270 votes.

3.38 pm Tania Tapsell posts after landslide re-election as Rotorua Mayor

3.27 pm  Tight race in Whakatāne

Progress results show incumbent Victor Luca leading the Whakatāne District Council mayoralty race with 2723 votes. 

He is in a tight race with councillor and former Green Party MP Nándor Tánczos with 2704.

Victor Luca. Photo / Supplied.

3.21 pm: New mayor of Waipa

Waipa District is poised to welcome a new mayor, with Mike Pettit leading incumbent Susan O'Regan.

Progress results show Pettit has 5238 votes to O'Regan's 4291.

Clare St Pierre recorded 2787 votes. Nearly 85% of the votes have been counted.

Mike Pettit. Photo / Supplied

3.17 pm:  Ship to shore

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer said he was “extremely happy and relieved” to be re-elected.

He found out whilst on the maiden voyage of the Waihī Beach Coastguard’s new boat after blessing it earlier today.

“We were going full ball in the harbour when the call came through, which I could barely hear.”

Also on board were Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward councillor Allan Sole, who was also re-elected and Coromandel MP Scott Simpson.

3.14 pm: Rotorua general ward progress result vote tallies:

Fisher Wang - 5601
Sandra Kai Fong - 5520
Ben Sandford - 5224
Gregg Brown - 4280
Don Paterson - 3738
Robert Lee - 3535

Fisher Wang. Photo / Supplied

3.11 pm: In the Waikato Regional Council race, Stu Kneebone and Garry Reymer look set to be elected to the Waipā-King Country ward, according to early results.

Mich'eal Downward has been elected in the Taupō-Rotorua seat race, while Tipa Mahuta and Katarania Hodge were re-elected to the Ngā Hau e Whā  and Nga Tai Ki Uta seats.

3.06 pm: Thames-Coromandel looks likely to have a new mayor, with one-term mayor Len Salt behind candidate Peter Revell by 618 votes.

Peter Revell has been a Thames-Coromandel District councillor for the last three years and was a former community board member.

Progress results show the district has also voted to remove its Te Tara o Te Ika Māori Ward. The seat was won unopposed by Michael Barlow. - RNZ

3.05 pm Western BOP votes to remove Māori Ward                                 

It will be the Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s only term with a Māori ward, referendum progress results show.

More than 7000 people voted to remove the Māori ward, against 4793 votes to keep it.

Darlene Dinsdale is poised to win the ward.

Background on how the ward was established can be found here.

2.59 pm:Landslide win for Tapsell

Early vote tallies suggest Tania Tapsell has won the Rotorua mayoral race by a landslide.

The incumbent has about 7000 votes over her nearest challengers, re-elected councillors Don Paterson and Robert Lee.

The results also show Rotorua has voted to keep its Māori ward.

2.57 pm: The wait to find out who will replace Paula Southgate as mayor continues in Hamilton.

Candidate Tim Macindoe said results could be in five minutes or five hours.

"Hamilton uses single-transferable vote and takes longer to count."

2.52 pm: Western Bay of Plenty mayoral runner-up Margaret Murray-Benge, who was re-elected to the Kaimai ward, said she was looking forward to working with re-elected Mayor James Denyer again and it was going to be a “very strong” team of councillors.

Margaret Murray-Benge has been re-elected to the Kaimai ward. Photo / Supplied.

2.42 pm: Rotorua's Trevor Maxwell will become New Zealand's outright longest-serving councillor, having been re-elected to Rotorua's Māori ward. Read more on his record here.

Progress results show Maxwell will be joined on the ward by Te Rika Temara-Benfell and Merepeka Raukawa-Tait. The latter is in a tight race with incumbent councillor Rawiri Waru for the third and final seat.

Trevor Maxwell has been re-elected to Rotorua Lakes council. Photo / Supplied.

2.33 pm: Progress results for Rotorua confirm Tania Tapsell's re-election as mayor and show Ben Sandford is the city's only new General Ward councillor. Conan O'Brien has lost his seat.

Fisher Wang, Sandra Kai Fong, Gregg Brown, Don Paterson and Robert Lee retain their seats.

Ben Sandford is Rotorua city's only new General Ward councillor. Photo / Supplied.

2.23 pm: Tania Tapsell says she is “incredibly humbled” for the support from the city and is looking forward to “continuing to lead” Rotorua.

“I'm ambitious and energised for the next three years and look forward to building a strong and high-performing new council,” she said.

On Sandra Kai Fong’s return as deputy mayor, Tapsell said: “Together we gave the previous term our all, I'm so proud of the progress we achieved for this great place we call home.”

2.22 pm: In the Western Bay of Plenty ward results, Darlene Dinsdale will be the district’s first Maōri ward councillor, progress results show.

Allan Sole and Rodney Joyce have been re-elected as Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward councillors.

Newcomer Graeme Elvin will join current councillors Margaret Murray-Benge and Tracey Coxhead in the Kaimai ward.

In the Maketu-Te Puke ward, Grant Dally and Laura Rae have been re-elected. 

First-time councillor Shane Beech will take the third  Maketu-Te Puke seat; he had to pull out of the 2022 election last minute for health reasons.

2.16 pm: Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell says councillor Sandra Kai Fong has been re-elected to Rotorua's general ward and will continue as her deputy mayor.

Progress results may be subject to change.

2.13 pm: Waitomo  District Mayor John Robertson has been re-elected, with 85% of votes counted.

Progress results show Robertson recorded 1339 votes, Janette Osborne 464, Natasha Willison-Reardon 333 and Richard Ross 133.

2.04 pm: Fellow Rotorua mayoral candidate Haehaetu Barrett confirmed Tania Tapsell's re-election. "I didn't make it this time," she said. "Tania won."

2.02 pm:  Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer has been re-elected and will serve his second term.

Voting closed at midday and 85% of votes have been counted, a council statement said.

Progress results showed Denyer received 3699 votes ahead of councillors Margaret Murray-Benge with 2256 votes and Rodney Joyce, who received 1585 votes.

James Denyer has won the mayoralty for the Western Bay of Plenty District Council. Photo / Supplied

1.58 pm: Rotorua Lakes Mayor Tania Tapsell tells the Rotorua Daily Post she has been re-elected to the role.

Full progress results are not yet available.

Tania Tapsell has won the mayoralty for the Rotorua Lakes Council. Photo / Supplied

1.30 pm: In the Bay of Plenty Regional Council election, voter returns in Tauranga are sitting at 21.58% as of yesterday, behind 2022's 27.4%. 

Western Bay (31.6%) and Rotorua (33.3%) were also tracking behind 2022.

Turnout was looking better in the Eastern Bay of Plenty: Whakatāne was on 36.4%, Kawerau, 36.7% and Ōpōtiki 38.6%.

Regional council votes are collected by district councils, except in Tauranga where there is no city council election this year, so the regional council is managing collections.

1.15 pm: In Rotorua, 33.32% of eligible people have voted as of yesterday, with 16,690 voting papers returned. That's below 2022, when 40.01% had voted by this point.

12.30 pm: In the Western Bay of Plenty, 31.5% of eligible people have voted, with 12,647 voting papers returned as of yesterday. This is 0.4% lower than the same timeframe for the 2022 election.

12.29 pm: In Hamilton, 28,575 voting papers have been returned as of yesterday — just 24.8% of the 115,433 people enrolled. That’s behind 2022, when 29.4% had voted by this point.

12.19 pm:   Voting has closed in the 2025 local elections. Progress results are expected from about 2pm. 

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Community Board results

Former councillor Anne Henry has been elected to the Katikati Community Board alongside John Clements, James Sayer and Norm Mayo.

The Maketu community board members are Aleisha Waterhouse, Cecil Thomas, Sue Elliott and Ieni Walters.

Wayne Stevenson, Gail Kelly, Heather Guptill and Ross Goudie are the Waihī Beach Community Board members.

Under the new representation arrangements, two community boards now have subdivisions.

The new members of the Kaimai Community Ōmokoroa Board are Chris Dever and Murray Marshall.

The Kaimai West members of the Kaimai Ōmokoroa Board Community are Tina Akuhata and Tania Tuhakaraina.

Kaimai East members of the Kaimai Ōmokoroa Community are Bevan Rakoia and Keith Wisnesky.

Te Puke members of the Te Puke–East Community Board Subdivision are Dale Snell, Karen Summerhays and Marara Williams.

The east member are Sally Benning and Manvir Singh Mann who were elected unopposed because two people stood for the two vacant seats.

Tauranga City Council is not having an election, with the council elected last year serving a special four-year term. Tauranga voters could still vote in the regional council election.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.