Sedate election springs one surprise

Tracy Hicks
Tracy Hicks
It was a sedate election in Gore, where incumbent mayor Tracy Hicks was unopposed and only two new faces join the council.

Elections were held for the council's district-wide, Waikaka and Gore wards, drawing the district's lowest return in its 24-year history at 41.5%.

The one surprise was in the Waikaka ward, where newcomer Diane Byars successfully challenged sitting councillor Bevan Watt for its seat, winning 288 votes to 209.

In the district-wide ward, the three incumbents, Nicola Davis (2358), Peter Grant (2268) and Cliff Bolger (2227) returned. North Chatton farmer John Gardyne (2065) was not elected.

In the Gore ward, sitting councillors Doug Grant (2032), Bret Highsted (1644), Ralph Beale (1626) and Anne Gover (1439) were re-elected, joined by newcomer Graham Page (1250). Laurel Turnbull (995), David Ogg (733) and Adam Hore (674) were unsuccessful.

Sitting councillors Graham Sharp and Steven (Boko) Dixon were elected unopposed for the Kaiwera-Waimumu and Mataura wards respectively.


Mataura Community Board

A by-election will be held, as only four nominations were received for its five vacancies. Barbara Cunningham, Chris Duffy, Linda Sinclair and Alan Taylor will return to the board.

Mataura Licensing Trust

The trust held elections for its rural ward, in which Barbara MacKay defended her seat against Susan Jones with 385 votes to 317.

Horace McAuley (Tapanui), Bryan Burgess (Gore), Alan Byrne (Gore), Jeff Rankin (Gore), Brendon Murray (Mataura), Jeannine Cunningham (Edendale), Jim McAllister (Wyndham) and Todd Lyders (Tokanui) were elected unopposed.


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