Former Whakatāne Mayor Victor Luca is poised to become the Bay of Plenty Regional Council representative for the Eastern Bay after taking a commanding lead in the constituency byelection.

Progress results released on Friday show Luca secured 3355 votes, well ahead of nearest rival Toi Iti on 1930 votes. Jessica Sneha Gray received 859 votes, Dayle Hunia 772 and Richard Collins 498, a media release said.

The results are based on about 90% of returned voting papers being counted and do not include special votes or voting papers returned on Friday that were still in transit to the processing centre.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chief executive Fiona McTavish congratulated Luca on his result and said his local government experience would be an asset.

“Victor brings valuable local government experience to the role, and we look forward to working with him,” McTavish said.

“It’s also encouraging to see voters engaging in the democratic process and having their say on who will represent the Eastern Bay of Plenty community.”

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chief executive Fiona McTavish. Photo / George Novak

McTavish also thanked all five candidates who stood for election during a period of significant change for local government in New Zealand.

The byelection was triggered by the death of councillor Malcolm Campbell and will determine who serves the remainder of the 2025-28 council term representing the Eastern Bay general constituency.

A total of 7458 votes have been received so far, representing a voter turnout of 30.44%.

The progress count recorded 30 informal votes and 14 blank voting papers.

Final official results, including special votes, are expected to be released on Monday.

Residents can view the latest results on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council elections website.