Official Northland Regional Council election results released

Official election results released this morning, Saturday 18 October, have left an outcome effectively unchanged from Election Day for the Northland Regional Council.

The official results confirm there will be four new councillors on the nine-strong Northland Regional Council and that the council’s Te Raki Māori Constituency will be removed from 2028.

New councillors are Colin (Toss) Kitchen (who will represent the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency and who returns to council after a three-year break), John Hunt (Coastal South General Constituency) and Pita Tipene and Arama Morunga (both Te Raki Māori Constituency).

Re-elected to council are Amy Macdonald (Coastal Central General Constituency), Joe Carr (Far North General Constituency), John Blackwell (Kaipara General Constituency), Jack Craw (Whangārei Central General Constituency) and Geoff Crawford, who was re-elected unopposed in the Mid North General Constituency.

Council Chief Executive Jonathan Gibbard today congratulated the successful candidates. He also paid tribute to former councillors Marty Robinson (who did not seek re-election) and Peter-Lucas Jones, Tui Shortland and Rick Stolwerk, whose bids for re-election were all unsuccessful.

"On behalf of council and its ratepayers I’d like to thank them for their contributions to council over the past three years."

A joint powhiri for all elected members of the four Northland councils is expected to be held at Waitangi at 10am on Thursday 23 October. Northland Regional Council’s inaugural meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday 5 November.