The 2024 Tauranga local elections were held via postal voting from 29 June 2024 to 20 July 2024.[ 1] Elections in Tauranga covered one territorial authority , the Tauranga City Council .
2024 Tauranga local elections Turnout 42,632 (38.77%[ a] )
Map of vote share of winning candidate by ward
These were the first elections for the Tauranga City Council since 2019 , following the appointment by the Minister of Local Government of a Crown Commission to oversee Tauranga City Council's governance responsibilities on 9 February 2021.[ 1]
The Tauranga City Council used the single transferable voting system to elect the Mayor of Tauranga and city councillors[ 2] for a term lasting until the 2028 local elections.[ 3] [ 4]
Tauranga City Council created nine electoral wards for these elections. There were eight general wards (Mauao/Mount Maunganui , Arataki , Pāpāmoa , Welcome Bay , Matua -Otūmoetai , Bethlehem , Tauriko and Te Papa) and one Māori ward (Te Awanui, covering the entire city) which each returned one councillor.[ 2]
Nominations for candidates opened on 26 April 2024 and closed on 24 May 2024.[ 5] The following 86 candidates[ 6] have been confirmed to be running for the positions of mayor and the nine city councillors:[ 7]
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Tanya Bamford-King
Independent
Aureliu Braguta
Independent
Greg Brownless
Community Focus - Responsible Spending
Mayor 2016–2019[ 8]
Andrew Caie
Independent
Mahé Drysdale
Olympic champion rower, grandson of former mayor Bob Owens [ 9]
Anthony Goddard
Chudleigh Haggett
Ria Hall
Musician and television presenter[ 10]
Donna Hannah
BOP Hori
Also stood in 2016 [ 8]
Tim Maltby
Our Rates are too High
Jos Nagels
Visionary Leadership, Not Repeatership
Douglas Owens
Independent
Former Bay of Plenty regional councillor .[ 8] Son of former mayor Bob Owens, uncle of Mahé Drysdale[ 9]
John Robson[ 11]
Principled; Professional; Democratic
Councillor 2013-2016, 2018-2021[ 8] [ 6]
Tina Salisbury
People and Progress over Politics
Deputy mayor 2020–2021[ 12]
Te Awanui Māori ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Suaree Borell
Learning, Leading and Leveraging
Ashley Hillis
Mikaere Sydney
Tauranga Moana Kōkiritia
Arataki general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Sarah-Jane Bourne
Rick Curach
Pick Rick community needs over wants
Anthony Goddard
Teresa Killian
Adrienne Pierce
Kim Renshaw
Voice for Arataki
Jeroen Van der Beek
A local for Arataki Ward
Andrea Webster
Independent
Harris Williams
Mike Williams
Common sense on Council
Bethlehem general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Charlene Apaapa
Shelley Archibald
Felicity Auva'a
Forward with Experience Energy Action
Darren Gilchrist
Gerry Hodgson
Jos Nagels
Visionary Leadership, Not Repeatership
Bevan Rakoia
John Robson[ 11]
Principled; Professional; Democratic
Kevin (Herb) Schuler
Constructive and Positive Leadership
Matua-Otūmoetai general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Tanya Bamford-King
Independent
Ronald Chamberlain
Glen Crowther
Accountability, Transparency, Community
Suzie Edmonds
Independent
Cam Holden
Independent
Jim McKinlay[ 10]
Ken Patterson
Basie Pikimaui
Tauranga Moana Kōkiritia
Tenby Powell
Our City. Our Future. Together
Mayor 2019–2020
Kim Pritchard
Independent
Mike Rayner
For keeping our current facilities
Zach Reeder
David Tank
David Webb
Tomorrow's thriving Tauranga, together
Mauao/Mount Maunganui general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Heidi Hughes[ 11]
Community, environment, future
Councillor 2019–2020
Garth Mathieson
Teresa Nichols
Independent
Michael O'Neill
Independent
Jacqueline Pointon
Jen Scoular
Commercial acumen, community heart
Peter Douglas Stanley
Pāpāmoa general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Bryan Archer
John Bowden
Phillip Coleman
Ria Hall[ 10]
Tim Maltby
Our Rates are too High
Steve Morris
Championing Pāpāmoa on Council
Former councillor[ 13]
Maaka Nelson
Craig Purcell
Pāpāmoa Pāpāmoa Proud
Shelley Robb
Independent
Tauriko general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Larry Baldock
Let's Keep Moving Forward
Former deputy mayor[ 11]
Murray Guy[ 14]
Democracy for Tauranga
Marten Rozeboom[ 10]
Stephen Wheeler
Te Papa general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Andrew Caie
Independent
Mark Decke
Chudleigh Haggett
Reihana Marx
Terry Molloy
Jim Smith
Loyal and Local
Rod Taylor
Tauranga True
Barbara Turley
Abraham (Bram) van Berkel
Welcome Bay general ward
edit
Candidate
Ticket (if any)
Notes
Hautapu Baker
Healthy Environment Thriving Community
Aureliu Braguta
Ethan Brinkman
Ethan for Reason
Robert Coe
Independent
Donna Hannah
Cameron Templer
Action over Words
Date
Time
Location
Organiser
Ward
Participants
Video
Notes
Attended
Absent
15 June
19:00–21:00
Bethlehem Hall
It's in the Ballot
Bethlehem general
Link
[ 15]
16 June
13:00–15:00
Papamoa Community Centre
It's in the Ballot
Arataki general
Link
[ 16]
16 June
16:00–17:40
Papamoa Community Centre
It's in the Ballot
Mauao/Mount Maunganui geneal
Link
[ 11] [ 17]
16 June
19:00–21:00
Papamoa Community Centre
It's in the Ballot
Pāpāmoa general
Bryan Archer
John Bowden
Ria Hall
Tim Maltby
Shelley Robb
Phillip Coleman
Steve Morris
Maaka Nelson
Craig Purcell
Link
[ 10] [ 18]
17 June
16:00–18:00
Welcome Bay Community Centre
It's in the Ballot
Tauriko general
Link
[ 14] [ 10] [ 19]
17 June
19:00–21:00
Welcome Bay Community Centre
It's in the Ballot
Welcome Bay general
Hautapu Baker
Aureliu Braguta
Ethan Brinkman
Robert Coe
Donna Hannah
Cameron Templer
Link
[ 20]
18 June
19:00–21:00
Tauranga Bridge Club
It's in the Ballot
Matua-Otūmoetai general
Tanya Bamford-King
Glen Growther
Suzie Edmonds
Cam Holden
Basie Pikimaui
Tenby Powell
Kim Pritchard
Mike Rayner
Zach Reeder
David Tank
David Webb
Ronald Chamberlain
Jim McKinlay
Kim Patterson
Link
[ 10] [ 21]
20 June
19:00–21:00
Te Wharekura o Mauao
It's in the Ballot
Te Awanui Māori
Suaree Borell
Ashley Hillis
Mikaere Sydney
Link
[ 22]
21 June
16:00–18:00
Elizabeth Street Community and Arts Center
It's in the Ballot
Te Papa general
Andrew Caie
Chudleigh Haggett
Terry Molloy
Jim Smith
Rod Taylor
Barbara Turley
Abraham (Bram) va Berkel
Link
[ 23]
21 June
19:00–22:00
Elizabeth Street Community and Arts Center
It's in the Ballot
Mayoralty
Tanya Bamford-King
Aureliu Braguta
Greg Brownless
Andrew Caie
Mahé Drysdale
Chudleigh Haggett
Ria Hall
Donna Hannah
Tim Maltby
Jos Nagels
Douglas Owens
John Robson
Tina Salisbury
Link
[ 11] [ 24]
26 June
17:00–19:00
University of Waikato – Tauranga campus
Tauranga Business Chamber
Mayoralty
Gerry Brownless
Mahe Drysdale
Ria Hall
Tina Salisbury
[ 25]
The official results of the election were released on 25 July.[ 26] Voter turnout was 38.77%,[ 27] which compares with a turnout of 40.28% at the 2019 election .[ 28]
Only one woman, Jen Scoular for the Mauao/Mount Maunganui ward, was elected to the council.[ 28] Two former councillors, Steve Morris and Rick Curach, were re-elected.[ 28]
Mikaere Sydney was elected as councillor for Tauranga's first Māori ward Te Awanui, which the Tauranga commission had confirmed at a meeting in April 2021 following the passage of the Local Electoral (Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2021 . Te Awanui is at risk of dissolution due to the National-led coalition government requiring local councils to hold binding referenda on Māori wards.[ 29]
Results of the 2024 Tauranga City Council elections[ 27]
Winning candidate
Position
Ward
Mahé Drysdale
Mayor
At-large
Jen Scoular
Councillor
Mauao/Mount Maunganui
Glen Crowther
Councillor
Matua-Otūmoetai
Rod Taylor
Councillor
Te Papa
Kevin "Herb" Schuler
Councillor
Bethlehem
Marten Rozeboom
Councillor
Tauriko
Hautapu Baker
Councillor
Welcome Bay
Rick Curach
Councillor
Arataki
Steve Morris
Councillor
Pāpāmoa
Mikaere Sydney
Councillor
Te Awanui
^ a b Ingoe, Maia (26 April 2024). "Nominations open for Tauranga City Council local elections" . RNZ . Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ a b "Elections 2024 > Information for voters" . www.tauranga.govt.nz . Tauranga City Council . Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "Wanted: candidates for council's 2024 election – The Bay's News First" . www.sunlive.co.nz . 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "Dates for the Tauranga City Council Election in July 2024 and the Following Election" . New Zealand Gazette . 22 August 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ "Elections 2024 > Information for candidates" . www.tauranga.govt.nz . Tauranga City Council . Retrieved 4 May 2024 .
^ a b Evans, Alisha (24 May 2024). "Tauranga City Council election hopefuls confirmed" . SunLive . Retrieved 24 May 2024 .
^ "Elections 2024" . www.tauranga.govt.nz . Tauranga City Council . Retrieved 22 May 2024 .
^ a b c d Gillespie, Kiri; Wilson, Megan (24 May 2024). "Tauranga election: Who's running and what you need to know about voting" . NZ Herald . Retrieved 24 May 2024 .
^ a b Sylvester, Catherine (19 May 2024). "Tauranga election: Olympian Mahé Drysdale announces bid for mayor" . Bay of Plenty Times . New Zealand Herald.
^ a b c d e f g McConnell, Glenn. "Tauranga's star studded return to democracy" . www.stuff.co.nz . Stuff . Retrieved 5 May 2024 .
^ a b c d e f Gillespie, Kiri (14 May 2024). "Tauranga City Council election: Several sacked councillors running again" . New Zealand Herald .
^ Evans, Alisha (26 April 2024). "Tina Salisbury to run for Tauranga mayoralty" . SunLive . Retrieved 30 April 2024 .
^ Evans, Alisha (17 May 2024). "Tauranga City Council nominations off to a slow start" . RNZ . Retrieved 24 May 2024 .
^ a b Gillespie, Kiri (21 May 2024). "Tauranga election: Murray Guy criticised for handling of user's 'barcode' comment on his page" . Bay of Plenty Times . New Zealand Herald.
^ "Tauranga City Council – Bethlehem Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Arataki Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Mauao/Mount Maunganui Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Pāpāmoa Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Tauriko Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Welcome Bay Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Matua-Otūmoetai Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Tauranga City Council – Te Awanui Ward | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Te Papa Ward – Tauranga City Council | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ "Mayor – Tauranga City Council | itsintheballot.nz" . Retrieved 29 June 2024 .
^ Kirkby-McLeod, Libby (27 June 2024). "Tauranga mayoral candidates face off as election looms" . Radio New Zealand . Retrieved 30 June 2024 .
^ "Elections 2024" . Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 25 July 2022 .
^ a b "2024 Council Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF) . Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 25 July 2024 .
^ a b c Wilson, Megan. "Mount Maunganui's Jen Scoular only woman elected in Tauranga City Council 2024 election" . Bay of Plenty Times . The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 22 July 2022 .
^ "Tauranga's first Māori ward councillor Mikaere Sydney undergoing medical treatment in hospital" . The New Zealand Herald . 22 July 2024. Archived from the original on 23 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024 .