A mass exodus is expected from around the Westland District Council table, with only three councillors confirming they will stand again at the local body elections in October.
On the back of Westland mayor Mike Havill and deputy mayor Pauline Cox announcing their resignations at the triennial elections, only three have said outright they will try for re-election.
Hokitika ward councillors Jim Butzbach and Latham Martin want another term, while northern ward councillor Andy Thompson - who came in on a by-election only 14 months ago - is considering taking a stab at the mayoralty as well as standing for a council seat.
Thompson, a former National Party electorate chairman, said he had sought advice from the lobby group Local Government NZ around standing for both the mayoralty and the council seat. If successful in both, the ward vote would go to the next highest polling candidate, he said.
Butzbach confirmed two weeks ago he would be standing again, and Martin, the youngest around the table at 22, confirmed this week he was also seeking re-election - and had also been approached by a number of residents to stand for the mayoralty, which he was still considering.
He said he always intended to stand for more than one term on the council: "I'm here for the long haul."
Councillor Murray Montagu was playing his cards close to his chest: "On July 1 you will know."
Councillors Kees Van Beek and Mark Dawson said they were not expecting to stand again.
Mr Van Beek said he had set out to do two terms and had reached that point: "I'm still floating, but at this stage I don't intend to stand."
The Guardian has been able unable to reach Haast-based councillor Greg Hope -- who has missed most council meetings since last year, being granted three different periods of 'leave of absence' to attend to work commitments overseas. He is currently in Europe.
In December, he said he had offered his resignation to fellow councillors, "in good faith" but they declined it. He said he was still committed to the role and had continued to contribute via e-mail.
Mayor Havill said at the time Hope's resignation would have triggered a by-election, which no one wanted less than a year out from the elections.
The mayor himself announced last month he would not be seeking a second term due to increased personal and business commitments. He lives and farms at Ahaura, in the Grey Valley between Greymouth and Reefton.
Shortly after his announcement, councillor Cox also announced her resignation.
"There comes a point where you have to sit back and reassess your priorities . . . and family comes first, I've decided."
Nominations open on July 1. Postal voting documents will go out in September and the results will be announced on election day, October 8.
- By Janna Sherman of the Hokitika Guardian
