Elections 2010 News

Dunedin City Council candidate Bev Butler has applied for a full recount of the election results, claiming the close vote, and similarity of names on the poll, as reasons to check almost 34,000 voting papers.

Several councillors are in the running but no decision has been made yet on who will be Central Otago's new deputy mayor.

After three terms serving his "apprenticeship" as deputy mayor, Tony Lepper has won the top job in his first bid at the mayoralty.

Clutha has a new mayor after Bryan Cadogan beat incumbent Juno Hayes, who was seeking a fifth consecutive term.

Incumbent Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton has been re-elected for a second term, with a 1183 vote majority over his nearest rival, deputy mayor Gary Kircher.

Voters have dumped three long-serving mayors in a day of sweeping change at the top in Southern local government.

Auckland has a new mayor. The new super city will be led by Len Brown, 53, after he beat sitting Auckland mayor John Banks, 63, by a substantial majority.