A New Broom? Possibly

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October 14, 2025

OPINION The 2025 local body election results are in and it appears there is significant change in some areas which would indicate a new broom has been elected to tidy up things in our region. There was a lot of disquiet amongst voters as we headed into this election, mainly caused by the unbelievable rate…

OPINION

The 2025 local body election results are in and it appears there is significant change in some areas which would indicate a new broom has been elected to tidy up things in our region. There was a lot of disquiet amongst voters as we headed into this election, mainly caused by the unbelievable rate increases the last council drove through, the Maori Ward being introduced following a perceived undemocratic process and, on the East Coast, a perception that there was a bias towards spending significant monies to benefit the Thames area at the expense of the East Coast wards.

The most obvious target for this disquiet was the sitting Mayor with Len Salt having significant opposition which resulted in him only receiving 24% of the vote, the winner, and new Mayor, being Peter Revell from Thames. Thanks must be expressed for the efforts of Mayor Salt, as they are for all outgoing representatives, but the voters were obviously after something different.

The difference between satisfaction with things at Thames and dissatisfaction elsewhere can be seen in the results of the Council and Community Board elections. Looking at the Council, all Thames Ward councillors were retained with Greg Hampton coming in to replace Peter Revell, who has now taken the Mayor’s seat. On the Community Board, the three members who stood again were retained with one not standing again and being replaced by Cole McDowall. It would seem obvious that Thames voters are quite happy with how things are going.

The other results would indicate that voters were not as satisfied with the status quo. In the other three wards councillors who offered themselves again had their offers rejected with the only exception being Mercury Bay’s John Grant. This means that there are seven new councillors, this figure including Michael Barlow who won the new Maori Ward. The challenge for Peter Revell will be to unify this council and to make it perform for the entire region. The challenge for the newly elected councillors will be to deliver on their campaign promises and help ensure council costs are curbed, the focus returns to basics and rate increases do not become an automatic hit on rate payer’s bank accounts.

For the Community Boards in the other Wards, 50% of sitting Board members were retained, the other 50% either not standing again or losing their positions. This turnover of representatives quite possibly echoes a common message from the election campaigns which is that the Community Boards need to be empowered to do things for their community. The current situation seems to be that all decision making is retained in Thames and frustrated electors strongly feel this must change and revert to the situation we had some years ago whereby the communities made their own decisions and invested their own budget without interference. The environment where Board Members resign mid-term or don’t bother attending meetings due to a complete lack of power or purpose, must be changed.

The number of councillors this term has increased from nine to ten with Michael Barlow winning the new Maori Ward. He was unopposed. The vote to retain the Maori Ward was lost so this ward will not form part of the 2028 election. The challenge for Mr Barlow is to make an impression on the whole region so that if he wishes to stand for a Council seat in three years-time he is generally well thought of. It is his opportunity.

So there we have it, a significant refresh of our representatives in most areas, satisfaction in Thames and a great challenge for the incoming Mayor. There are some strong, skilled and experienced voices in the new Council and electors are demanding efficiency, focus and fairness. The challenge is for the Council and Mayor to work together to achieve this.

OPINION

Opinion pieces are not to be assumed to be the Editor’s or The Informer’s viewpoint

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