Jonathan Larsen has been the Deputy Mayor for the region. (File photo)
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Kaipara’s new mayor has been announced with just 21 votes separating the two frontrunners.
Jonathan Larsen has won the race with 3138 votes, while Snow Tane received 3117 votes. In third place was Jason Smith, who had been the Kaipara mayor twice in the past, with 3081 votes.
Larsen was the current deputy mayor for the last council and had been endorsed by outgoing mayor and self-declared ‘Trump of the North’ Craig Jepson.
Tane, an iwi leader and businessman, had landed a spot as a newly elected first-term councillor for the Wairoa ward.
Jepson, chose not to run for the mayoralty again, but he was elected as a councillor for the Kaiwaka-Managawhai ward in one of three available seats.
Twenty-four hours before the final election results were due, Jepson called an emergency meeting about conduct during the local election.
Jepson oped to make a complaint about conduct related to the local body election and said he had seen a number of “irregularities” with the process.
A number of councillors criticised Jepson for calling an emergency council meeting, instead of making his own individual complaint.
However, councillors voted to lodge a complaint with the Department of Internal Affairs about what Jepson said were irregularities in the election process.
A swearing in ceremony and the inaugural council meeting would be held on Thursday, 30 October, at Matakohe War Memorial Hall.
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