There are also 33 candidates standing for the council, with just 12 positions up for grabs.
Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt said to a Local Democracy reporter last year that his path to victory would be made easier if it was a crowded race.
He has got his wish.
"From my point of view, the more people that run, the merrier," Sir Tim said.
Sir Tim was first elected Invercargill mayor in 1993 and is now in his ninth term. He is also running for a Invercargill City Council seat, which he has not done for more than 20 years.
Incumbent councillors Rebecca Amundsen and Ian Pottinger had previously announced intentions to run for mayor, but dropped out earlier this week.
Cr Pottinger said his decision was not made due to the possibility of a split-vote scenario that may result in Sir Tim re-elected. Cr Amundsen said there were "a number of possible outcomes that would be detrimental for the city".
The Invercargill mayoralty is just one part of Aurora College teacher Stevey Chernishov’s bold ambitions as he is also running for the Southland and the Queenstown Lakes District Councils.
"I’ve got this idea where I would be serving to connect people and made decisions actually which stretches across different councils," he said.
Bluff Community Board member Noel Peterson is seeking the mayoralty and also dabbles as a green wizard.
Tom Morton describes himself as a TikToker and has only been living in the city for a few months.
Broadcaster and current Invercargill city councillor Marcus Lush was elected to the council in February last year after a by-election, receiving almost half the total votes.
He said the support of the community and other leaders led to his decision to run for the top job.
Ben Tomsett
