Moko Tepania was the district's youngest and first Māori mayor when he was elected three years ago. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania says he will contest a second term at the upcoming local elections, ending weeks of speculation.
The former te reo teacher was the district's youngest and first Māori mayor when he was elected three years ago.
Tepania had been shoulder-tapped by a number of political parties about switching to national politics, and earlier told RNZ he would talk with whānau before making a decision.
So far he is the only candidate to confirm he's standing for the mayoralty.
Seventeen people had put their hands up as of yesterday for the Far North's 10 council seats spread over four wards, while just 11 people had put their hands up for 19 community board seats.
Tepania was just 31 when he was elected mayor. He had previously served one term as a councillor representing the Kaikohe-Hokianga Ward.
He previously told RNZ running for a second term was not a decision to be taken lightly, or alone, because it also affected his whānau.
Tepania said he would consider a run at Parliament in future only if he was in "a position of power to see transformative change for the people of the Far North".
His main rival in the 2022 election was long-time councillor Ann Court, deputy mayor under both Wayne Brown and John Carter.
Court won the election night count but Tepania pulled ahead once special votes were counted.
Court told RNZ she would contest a seat in the council's Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward this October but not the mayoralty.
Current deputy Kelly Stratford had been contemplating a tilt at the mayoralty but is unlikely to run now Tepania has declared his intentions.
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