New Mayor’s Double Celebrations In The City

Invercargill’s new Mayor Tom Campbell was not sure whether the time was quite right to open his new bottle of whisky on Saturday night.

With preliminary votes showing he held the lead against Alex Crackett by almost 2000, there was an organised party to attend, and his wedding anniversary dinner to go to. The celebrations were already underway.

After a few drinks at Ziffs with other candidates (some successful, some not), and dinner with his wife, he decided to crack open the 15-year-old Macallans single malt, and share a glass with his son.

“It was the most expensive bottle of whisky I’ve ever bought,” he said.

While there were still 904 special votes to count today (Monday), the Invercargill City Council Deputy Electoral Officer declared this afternoon that he was the winner - on 6815.

Alex Crackett received 4940 votes and Ian Pottinger 2272.

Mayor Campbell said he was pleased with the result “and the gap is big enough that I feel comfortable with the win,” he said.

Cr Crackett said when contacted, her initial reaction was a mixture of pride and heartbreak.

“I poured everything into this campaign. To come so close felt like a win in spirit, even if not on paper. Invercargill sent a strong message that people want leadership grounded in connection, accountability and forward thinking. I’m proud of that.”

She’s not ruling out standing for Mayor next time either.

“Our mandate is really strong and I’ll be using the next three years to keep building that foundation, supporting good governance and staying connected with the people of Invercargill. I’ve got every intention of having another crack next time.

“Tom and I have each earned strong mandates from different parts of our community. I’m hopeful he’ll consider appointing me as deputy who represents that broad base of support. Bringing our voices together would send a powerful message of unity and collaboration for Invercargill’s future.”

It was her first time standing for Mayor and the same for Ian (Rangi) Pottinger - who said he wasn’t disappointed with the outcome, describing it as an “interesting learning experience.”

“What will be will be," he said.

Cr Pottinger said he also may stand again, “I’m still young and fit,” and was now just concentrating on continuing his work as councillor - having made it into the top eight positions out of 12.

Mayor Campbell said his first job was to sit down with each of the councillors over the next few days, and then make a decision on the deputy role as well as the four chairs of committees.

“I have in my mind a fair idea of the positions but not of which ones exactly… it depends on my conversations with them.”

Mayor Campbell was first elected to Invercargill City Council in 2022, and was appointed to the role of Deputy Mayor shortly after.

He also served as Acting Mayor temporarily in 2024 and 2025, standing in for former Mayor Nobby Clark.

Campbell has held several key roles within council, serving as Deputy Chair for the Infrastructure and Projects, Community Wellbeing and Regulatory, Finance and Policy, and Risk and Assurance committees.

He was also a member of the Community Wellbeing Fund and City Centre Heritage subcommittees.

The preliminary results confirmed that Grant Dermody (8,129 votes), Trish Boyle (7,267 votes), Darren Ludlow (7,177 votes), Ria Bond (7,153 votes), and Ian Pottinger (7,027 votes) would return to the council table. Previous Councillor Marcus Lush, who was ousted in 2022’s local body elections, would also return to Council, with 8,128 votes.

They join returning Councillors Steve Broad (11,143 votes) and Alex Crackett (9,703 votes), who had been confirmed when progress results were made available shortly after polls closed. Voter turnout in Invercargill was recorded at 44.77 percent, excluding Special Votes.

For the latest results: