Great Barrier Island has again recorded the highest voter turnout in Auckland, with 41.3 percent of eligible voters returning their papers – far ahead of the regional average of 23.1 percent.
Preliminary results show incumbent chair Izzy Fordham leading the Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board poll with 294 votes, followed by Ryan Daly on 272 and Nikki Watts on 259. Rounding out the top five are Christopher Ollivier on 215 and Neil Sanderson on 204.
These five are set to form the new Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board, subject to confirmation of special votes. The remaining three candidates – Ben Assado (155), Gregory Heap (153) and Fenella Christian (149) – have missed out.
Fordham, who has chaired the Aotea Local Board for the past six years and served as a member for more than two decades, said during her campaign that the island would need an experienced political voice as it transitions from the Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan into the Auckland Unitary Plan. She also highlighted biosecurity and marine protection issues as key challenges ahead.
“I’m stoked and really looking forward to working with the new board,” Fordham said after the preliminary results were announced. “I’m grateful for the faith people have in me to re-elect me as one of their representatives. Really looking forward to the challenge.”
Ryan Daly, born and raised on the island, campaigned on affordability, freight costs and housing, saying Aotea could “set a global benchmark for sustainable, resilient, off-grid island living.” Nikki Watts, who placed third, emphasised her long-standing community service and focus on supporting local trusts, education and family life.
Re-elected members from the previous board include Fordham, Ollivier and Sanderson, meaning the new board will mix experience with new representation when it meets for the first time later this month. The five members will then elect a chair and deputy chair from among themselves at the inaugural meeting, by majority vote under Auckland Council rules.
In the Waitematā and Gulf ward, Mike Lee has retained his seat on Auckland Council with 6,145 votes, ahead of Patrick Reynolds on 4,241 and Genevieve Sage on 2,785. Lee, who has long represented the Gulf Islands, campaigned on protecting the Hauraki Gulf, opposing rates rises and keeping the Port of Auckland in public ownership.
City-wide, Wayne Brown has been re-elected as mayor with 146,642 votes – more than 90,000 ahead of his nearest rival, Kerrin Leoni. Brown described the result as “heartening,” calling it an endorsement of his Fix Auckland platform and his focus on reforming Auckland Transport. Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said the win marked “the biggest transformational change since the super city came into being in 2010.”
Out of 968 registered electors on Aotea, 400 returned their papers – continuing the island’s long-standing reputation for close-knit democracy and high participation. Waiheke followed on 36.3 percent, while most mainland boards sat between 20 and 30 percent.
Final confirmation of the results, including special votes, is expected by Friday, October 17.
