Incumbent Sam Broughton is seeking a fourth term as mayor but faces a challenge from first-term councillor Lydia Gliddon and newcomer Brad Mannering.
Rebecca Tayler had briefly entered the mayoral race but has withdrawn.
It’s set to be a changing of the guard at the Selwyn council.
Seven incumbents are not seeking election, and with Gliddon only going for the Mayoralty, there will be at least eight new faces at the council table.
Councillor Nicole Reid (Rolleston Ward) had been weighing up seeking a fourth term but has decided this term will be her last.
That has Reid join Malcolm Lyall (Springs), Debra Hasson (Springs) Shane Epiha (Ellesmere), Grant Miller (Springs), Bob Mugford (Malvern) in leaving the council at the end of this term, while Phil Dean (Rolleston) resigned in May.
As a result of the representation review decision in April, two councillors will be elected at large (district-wide), one councillor for each of the Tawera Malvern and Te Waihora Ellesmere wards (that previously had two councillors each), and three councillors each from the Kā Puna Springs and Kā Mānia Rolleston wards.
There are six candidates chasing the two at large seats in Sharon Hunt, Barry Mackenzie, Tracey Macleod, Calvin Payne, Samantah Samuel, and Samuel Wiltshire.
It will be a hotly contested race for the three seats in the Kā Mānia Rolleston Ward with 12 candidates.
Councillor Sophie McInnes is seeking a third term while Avi Aulakh, Rhys Laraman, Errol Maffey, Ashwin (Robert) Mani, Joe Morris, Haydn Porritt, Moneel Pratap, Brendan ‘Big Red’ Shefford, Chris Till, Prabh Singh, and Paul Weggery, are all seeking a first term.
With all three incumbent councillors in the Kā Puna Springs Ward are retiring, Sarah Barnsley, Denise Carrick, Aaron McGlinchy, Till Peters, Tim Pow, Zoran Rakovic and Karim Sabet seeking to fill the three vacancies.
In the Tawera Malvern Ward, current community board members Sharn Nu'u, and John Verry go head-to-head.
Meanwhile, there are four candidates for Environment Canterbury’s Mid-Canterbury/Ōpākihi Regional Constituency.
Incumbents Ian Mackenzie and John Sunckell are joined by Peter Trolove and Helen Troy.
By Jonathan Leask, Local Democracy Reporter
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
