Greater Wellington Regional Council building on Chapel St, Masterton. PHOTO/MARY ARGUE
Preliminary results have been released for Greater Wellington Regional Council’s [GWRC] local government elections.
The Wairarapa face representing our region on Greater Wellington Regional Council [GWRC] remains the same – Adrienne Staples was unopposed for her third term on the council.
She got her start in politics on the Featherston Community Board in 2003 before becoming mayor of South Wairarapa for 12 years from 2004 to 2016.
Daughter of South Wairarapa’s new mayor Martin Connelly, Ros Connelly, has been re-elected for Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta Upper Hutt’s only GWRC seat.
Connelly received 7101 votes, beating the currently unsuccessful candidate Steve Taylor by 2962 votes.
Some new faces will appear in the GWRC chambers, including previous Wellington city councillor Simon Woolf who received 10,249 votes, and broadcaster backed by the Green Party Yadana Saw with 10,067 votes joining the Poneke-Wellington regional constituency.
Woolf received the most votes of all GWRC candidates.
Continuing from the last term for Ponoke will be Thomas Nash who received 10,296 votes. Nash campaigned alongside Saw with Green Party backing.
Last term’s chairman Daran Ponter supported by Labour is set to return to a Ponoke seat with 9586 votes, followed by David Lee with 9489 votes.
The Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt regional constituency will have sports broadcaster and commentator and analyst Ken Laban return after receiving 7619 votes, along with newcomers David Bassett, with 7205 votes, and Quentin Duthie, with 7116 votes.
In the Porirua-Tawa regional constituency, Chris Kirk-Burnnand has been re-elected with 6566 votes, joined by Hikitia Ropata with 5818 votes.
The only seat for the Kapiti Coast regional constituency has been claimed by Penny Gaylor with 10,077 votes, marking her third term.
