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Local Democracy Reporting
Local Democracy Reporting headlines with summaries.
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Increased vote count strengthens Pacific representation in South Auckland
14 Oct 2025Thousands more votes have been counted in the Auckland local elections, affecting the outcomes of several closely contested races.
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Hurunui mayor had already won, but that didn't stop nerves
12 Oct 2025Marie Black is ready to get to back work, after seeing the make-up of her new council.
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'Doesn't feel like election day': South Aucklanders cast final votes amid low turnout
11 Oct 2025At Manukau Library, students, parents and grandparents lined up together to vote on Saturday morning before the cutoff.
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Māori wards and candidates voted out across Taranaki
12 Oct 2025The results are preliminary, as they do not include votes made after Thursday or special votes, but numbers in the government-mandated referendums are not close.
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Incumbent regional councillors keep Hawke's Bay seats
12 Oct 2025All sitting Hawke's Bay regional councillors, who ran for re-election, have won back their seats, progress results suggest.
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'Shocked and surprised': New Napier mayor Richard McGrath reacts to victory
12 Oct 2025Getting back to the basics, avoiding tangents and bringing the community along with council decisions will be on the agenda, the incoming McGrath says.
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Pasifika leaders, newcomers compete in Auckland elections
12 Oct 2025This local body election also marked a continued increase in Pacific representation on the city council.
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Aotearoa's first Pasifika mayor elected
13 Oct 2025Fauono Ken Laban's victory in Lower Hutt marks a historic milestone for Pacific representation in local government.
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'Protect our families': Pacific leaders issue measles warning
10 Oct 2025A Pacific leader has called on people to get vaccinated against measles because, "we all know what happened in Samoa".
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Kaipara's local election voter turnout highest in six years
10 Oct 2025The district is still topping the region's voter turnout leaderboard with an overall local voter election return of 38.9 percent.
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Compliance issues surface at Southland water facilities
9 Oct 2025An annual report prepared for a district council meeting showed some drinking water plants had missed the mark.
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'Like a cheap ID card': A designer ranks election hoardings
9 Oct 2025Residents across Nelson Tasman have been bombarded by local election candidates' campaign signage, but whose were the best?
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Mayor vows cheaper redo after $105m pool project halted
9 Oct 2025Mahé Drysdale is "disappointed" $4.7m was spent on "ridiculous" plans to overhaul the Memorial Park aquatic centre, which his council has abandoned.
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141-year-old rural hall for sale - quirks and all
7 Oct 2025Once a place of dancing, celebration, and socialising, Carterton's Belvedere Hall is on the market.
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Gisborne council candidate was twice struck off medical register
8 Oct 2025Raawiri Gilgen was first struck off in 1989 for over-prescribing a depressant drug.
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Mayors hail a community win after police backdown
8 Oct 2025Canterbury mayors are thrilled community pressure has led to police backing down on a proposed restructure of rural policing.
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Defective paint forces closure of Napier fountain
6 Oct 2025Defective paint used by contractors during repairs to a popular fountain in Napier last year has resulted in it being closed again.
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Which Southland mayor spent the most this term?
7 Oct 2025Total spending for Southland's mayors during the current term has topped more than $192,000 - not including one of the region's largest councils.
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Don't sacrifice Blenheim to war on cars, David Seymour warns
6 Oct 2025"I think there's a whole lot of cities that have made a big mistake trying to banish cars and banish parking from the CBD," Seymour says.
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Abuse forces candidate to give up election campaign
3 Oct 2025Ruapehu District Council has condemned the abuse and harassment of candidates standing in the local elections.
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Inside Mayor School: Where new leaders learn how to run a council
3 Oct 2025This year marks the 10th session of Mayor School, which began in 1998.
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Thousands of Auckland dog owners hit with fines
2 Oct 2025The council has been cracking down on dog owners to register their dogs, or risk a fine or a day in court.
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Rolleston 1080 bait factory sold at a loss
The West Coast Regional Council sold its controversial Rolleston 1080 factory last year for $70,000 under valuation, records show.
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Wrecking ball nears on Masterton Town Hall
3 Oct 2025A deal has been signed with a demolition contractor to take down Masterton's town hall, with work set to begin this month.
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