- Invercargill’s final election results confirmed after hundreds of special votes were carefully counted
- Tom Campbell officially declared new Mayor following a competitive race across the city
- Twelve Councillors elected to Invercargill City Council, with several newcomers joining the team
After a tense wait following Saturday’s local elections, Invercargill has officially confirmed its new Mayor and Council. The final results, released just after 6pm, came after 904 special votes were counted – a significant rise from 594 in the 2022 election.
Tom Campbell was formally declared Mayor with 6,948 votes. He edged out closest competitor Alex Crackett, who received 5,202 votes. Campbell will announce his Deputy Mayor and Committee Chairs in the coming days.
“It has been an anxious wait for a few of them, so it’s great to now be able to officially congratulate those successfully elected to the Invercargill City Council and Bluff Community Board,” Campbell said. “I also want to extend a special congratulations to those who have been chosen by the people to lead our community for the first time.”
He also paid tribute to outgoing members, thanking them for their service and commitment to the city. “Your dedication and service has helped shape the strong, resilient, and innovative community we are today.”
Campbell said he was eager to begin his new role. “Thank you for placing your trust in me, and in our new Council. Your voice is at the heart of every decision we make and together, I am confident we will continue to build a community that reflects our shared values.”
Twelve Councillors were elected at large to Invercargill City Council. The final four places went to Allan Arnold (6,105 votes), Andrea De Vries (5,920), Lisa Tou McNaughton (5,816), and Barry Stewart (5,710), rounding out the 12-member Council. They will serve alongside Steve Broad, Alex Crackett, Marcus Lush, Grant Dermody, Trish Boyle, Darren Ludlow, Ria Bond, and Ian Pottinger.
Michael Morris, Deputy Electoral Officer, confirmed the new Council would be sworn in on Tuesday, 28 October, with the first Council meeting set for Tuesday, 4 November.
Results for other bodies were also finalised. Jo Eruera, Justin Sutherland, Ray Fife, Haylee Simeon, and Frazer Murdoch were elected to the Bluff Community Board.
For the Invercargill Licensing Trust, returning members Paddy O’Brien, Suzanne Prentice, Angela Newell, Graham Hawkes, and Sheree Carey will be joined by newcomer Nick Jeffrey.
Invercargill City Council 2025 Triennial Elections
DECLARATION OF RESULT
The final result for the Invercargill City Council elections held on Saturday 11th October is as follows.
Mayoralty Votes
Received
CAMPBELL, Tom 6,948
CRACKETT, Alex 5,202
POTTINGER, Ian 2,322
BOND, Ria 1,803
MORTON, Tom 711
CLARK, Andrew 291
CHERNISHOV, Stevey 229
MCCRONE, Gordon 66
INFORMAL 75
BLANK VOTING PAPERS 349
Tom CAMPBELL is declared elected.
Council - At Large Votes Received
BROAD, Steve 11,503
CRACKETT, Alex 10,056
LUSH, Marcus 8,396
DERMODY, Grant 8,321
BOYLE, Trish 7,457
BOND, Ria (Independent) 7,373
LUDLOW, Darren 7,371
POTTINGER, Ian 7,195
ARNOLD, Allan 6,105
DE VRIES, Andrea 5,920
TOU MCNAUGHTON, Lisa 5,816
STEWART, Barry 5,710
REEVES, Ian 5,689
MCKERROW, Lynley 5,608
MEADES, David (Independent) 5,414
HERMAN, Karl 4,788
KING, Terry (Advocate and Lobbyist for Invercargill) 4,691
DAWSON, Chris 4,510
COOTE, Jay (Independent) 4,137
COOTE, Pania (Consumer Advocate) 3,904
VAN DER LEM, Tony 3,749
MORTON, Tom (Independent) 3,268
HEENAN, Carl 2,979
O'CONNELL, Dan 2,320
LAURIE, Amanda 2,128
PETERSON, Noel (Independent - Serving Community) 1,301
JASPERSE, Carol (CJ) 1,005
INFORMAL 51
BLANK VOTING PAPERS 132
Allan ARNOLD, Ria BOND, Trish BOYLE, Steve BROAD, Alex CRACKETT, Andrea DE VRIES, Grant DERMODY, Darren LUDLOW, Marcus LUSH, Ian POTTINGER, Barry STEWART and Lisa TOU MCNAUGHTON are declared elected.
Bluff Community Board (5 vacancies) Votes Received
ERUERA, Jo 625
SUTHERLAND, Justin 610
FIFE, Ray 490
SIMEON, Haylee (Community Voice) 414
MURDOCH, Frazer (Bluff Promotions) 298
GOODALL, Glen 249
JASPERSE, Carol (CJ) 112
INFORMAL 2
BLANK VOTING PAPERS 18
Jo ERUERA, Ray FIFE, Frazer MURDOCH, Haylee SIMEON and Justin SUTHERLAND are declared elected.
Invercargill Licensing Trust (6 vacancies) Votes Received
O'BRIEN, Paddy 10,231
PRENTICE, Suzanne 9,416
NEWELL, Angela 8,153
HAWKES, Graham (Hawksy) 7,577
CAREY, Sheree 7,494
JEFFREY, Nick 5,669
JOHNSON, Kane (Big Daddy) 5,157
DOUGLAS, Aaron (Ronnie) 2,522
INFORMAL 5
BLANK VOTING PAPERS 607
Sheree CAREY, Graham (Hawksy) HAWKES, Nick JEFFREY, Angela NEWELL, Paddy O'BRIEN and Suzanne PRENTICE are declared elected.
The voter return was 46.02%, being 17,997 votes, including special votes.