Kaipara District Council Elections 2025: Results and Winners

In one of the tightest local election finishes in New Zealand this cycle, Kaipara voters handed the mayoral chain to a deputy who barely scraped past two rivals. Jonathan Larsen crossed the line with just 21 votes separating him from the runner-up, in a race where three candidates finished within 60 votes of each other. The result set off a recount challenge and a 5-3 council vote backing the outgoing mayor’s complaint, giving this Northland district a turbulent start to its new term.

Election Year: 2025 · Kaipara Mayor Winner: Jonathan Larsen · Victory Margin: 21 votes · Results Release Date: 17 Oct 2025 · Progress Results Coverage: 90%

The official results summary compiles key election data from Kaipara District Council’s certified counts and election authority sources.

What are the Kaipara election results?

The Kaipara District Council 2025 local elections delivered one of the narrowest mayoral victories in recent New Zealand political memory. Official results posted at 17:50 on 17 October 2025 showed Jonathan Larsen claiming victory with 3,138 votes, just 21 votes ahead of Snow Tane’s 3,117. Jason Smith finished third with 3,081 votes, meaning the top three candidates were separated by only 57 votes total.

The final count included approximately 500 special votes, which proved decisive in such a tight race. Of the 9 informal votes and 79 blank votes recorded in the mayoral race, none altered the outcome. Progress results released on the afternoon of 11 October 2025 covered approximately 90% of votes, giving an early indication of the close finish before the final tally was confirmed.

All mayoral candidates ran as Independents, with no party affiliations listed on the official ballot. The election used the First Past the Post (FPP) system, where the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of whether they achieve a majority.

Ward-by-ward breakdown

• Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward (3 vacancies): Rachael Williams topped with 1,985 votes, followed by former mayor Craig Jepson with 1,704 votes and Luke Kenneth Canton with 1,669 votes.
• Otamatea Ward (2 vacancies): Mike Schimanski led with 820 votes, with Denise Anne Rogers second at 742 votes.
• Wairoa Ward (3 vacancies): Snow Tane dominated with 2,443 votes, followed by Josephine Nathan (1,444) and Gordon Lambeth (1,345).

The ward results reveal an interesting dynamic: while Snow Tane lost the mayoral race by 21 votes, Tane won the largest majority in any single ward contest, finishing nearly 1,000 votes ahead of the second-place candidate in Wairoa. This suggests Tane’s support was heavily concentrated geographically.

Who won the Kaipara mayor election?

Jonathan Larsen, the incumbent deputy mayor, won the Kaipara mayoral election in a three-way race that ended with the narrowest of margins. The official count from the Kaipara District Council Official Results PDF shows Larsen with 3,138 votes to Snow Tane’s 3,117, a difference of exactly 21 votes.

Larsen had served as Deputy Mayor under Craig Jepson from 2022 to 2025. His transition from deputy to the top job marks the third leadership change for the district in seven years, following Jason Smith’s mayoralty from 2018-2022 and Jepson’s term from 2022-2025.

The NZ Herald reported that the tight finish prompted Snow Tane to challenge the results and seek a recount, with Tane’s campaign citing the narrow margin as grounds for a second look at the tally. The council subsequently voted 5:3 to back former mayor Craig Jepson’s complaint regarding the election process.

Incumbent deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen is Kaipara’s new mayor after winning a three-way race by 21 votes.

— NZ Herald / Northern Advocate (Northland news outlet)

Who are the Kaipara Council election candidates?

The 2025 Kaipara mayoral race featured four candidates, all running as Independents without party affiliation. Beyond the top finishers, Ash Nayyar received 1,278 votes in fourth place, making it a genuine four-horse race.

Candidate nominations closed on 1 August 2025, with the Kaipara District Council Elections Page noting that all candidates met the eligibility requirements for local government office. The council also hosted “meet the candidates” events in the lead-up to voting to help residents make informed decisions.

Key figures in the election

• Jonathan Larsen: Deputy Mayor 2022-2025, winner of mayoral race with 3,138 votes
• Snow Tane: Runner-up, also won Wairoa Ward with 2,443 votes, sought recount
• Jason Smith: Former Mayor (2018-2022), placed third with 3,081 votes
• Craig Jepson: Outgoing Mayor (2022-2025), elected to Kaiwaka-Mangawhai Ward with 1,704 votes, filed election complaint

The election results show a notable shift in political dynamics for Kaipara. Two former mayors competed in the same race, with one (Smith) finishing third and another (Jepson) not running for mayor but successfully securing a ward seat while later challenging the election outcome through the council.

What is the Kaipara district council Maori ward?

The 2025 Kaipara District Council elections were conducted under standard ward structures without a separate Maori ward electoral system. The district operates three general wards—Kaiwaka-Mangawhai, Otamatea, and Wairoa—each electing a set number of councillors through first-past-the-post voting.

Unlike some New Zealand councils that have established Maori wards to ensure indigenous representation, Kaipara’s electoral structure for this cycle used only general wards. However, Snow Tane, who has cultural connections to the region, won the largest individual ward vote total in Wairoa, demonstrating significant community support regardless of formal ward designation.

What are the Whangārei election results?

While this article focuses on Kaipara, the broader Northland region also held local elections in 2025. New mayors were announced for multiple councils in the area, including Whangārei District Council. The interconnected nature of Northland local government means policy decisions in one district often affect neighboring areas through regional council coordination.

Voters in the wider Northland region saw similar patterns of change, with incumbent mayors in several districts facing unexpected challenges. The Kaipara result, with its 21-vote margin, was among the closest in the region.

Election timeline

The 2025 Kaipara District Council election followed a structured timeline from nomination to inauguration. Understanding these key dates helps contextualize how the results unfolded.

The three-stage results release—progress, preliminary, and final—allowed voters to track the evolving count as special votes and late ballots were processed. The gap between preliminary and final results showed how the margin shifted as additional votes were tallied.

Confirmed and unclear

Key quotes

Final results posted by the council tonight showed Larsen won the race by 21 votes.

— 1News Reporter (National news broadcaster)

Snow Tane is just 21 votes behind incoming new mayor Jonathan Larsen after Friday’s local election results.

— Te Ao News Reporter (Māori news outlet)

Incumbent deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen is Kaipara’s new mayor after winning a three-way race by 21 votes, with a recount reportedly possible given the closeness of the result.

— NZ Herald / Northern Advocate (Regional newspaper)

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