By Tara Ward

Copyright thespinoff

Sadly, the New Plymouth District Council is no longer using poo to encourage people to vote – but a healthy field of nine mayoral candidates vying to replace the incumbent should be enough of a push to the polls.

Why is New Plymouth the best place in the world?

Despite many New Zealanders confusing the two cities, New Plymouth is not Palmerston North. Known for its snow-capped mounga, black sand beaches and impressive parks, museums and galleries, New Plymouth was named as the most liveable city in the world (population 75,000-150,000) in 2021. Lots of famous New Zealanders hail from the district, including actor Melanie Lynskey, writer David Hill, former Black Fern Michaela Brake and journalist Paddy Gower.

What is the contest?

The New Plymouth District covers an area of 2,206km², stretching from the Mōkau River mouth in the north, to Tariki in the south, and across to the west coast to the town of Ōkato. It includes the city of Ngāmotu New Plymouth, as well as towns like Waitāra, Bell Block, Inglewood, Ōakura and Urenui. The district also falls under the remit of Taranaki Regional Council, which looks after environmental issues. With a population of 87,000 (1.7% of New Zealand’s total population), 20% of New Plymouth district residents are over 65 years of age and 20% identify as Māori.

New Plymouth uses the single transferable vote system, and will vote to elect the mayor and 14 councillors from five wards. Voters will also choose the members of five community boards (Clifton, Inglewood, Kaitake, Puketapu-Bell Block and Waitara). An impressive 82 candidates are standing across the region for these roles (here’s a full breakdown, with all candidates listed here), with 19 standing for Taranaki Regional Council in its election running simultaneously. Sadly, the New Plymouth District Council is no longer using poo to encourage people to vote.

Because both New Plymouth District Council and Taranaki Regional Council established Māori wards in 2022 by resolution, they are now required to hold a binding vote on whether to keep or remove them. This follows the introduction of the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024.

Who is in the race?

With incumbent mayor Neil Holdom not standing for a fourth term, nine local candidates have stepped up to fill the void. The first is two-term councillor Sam Bennett, who stood for mayor in 2022 (he placed fourth) and who says he is committed to $100 million in savings over the next 10 years. (Chillingly, Bennett has recently made a police complaint after receiving a death threat related to his support of Māori wards.) Current councillor Max Brough has set up “The Mayoral Office” opposite the Juicy Vape store on Devon Street East, and is encouraging people to drop by and “Ask Max Anything”.

Current deputy mayor, teacher and former Taranaki basketball coach David Bublitz promises collaborative leadership with “thoughtful, responsible” growth. Also standing is New Plymouth RSA president Graham Chard, who previously hit the headlines for making the best hot chips in the country. Sarah Lucas, the only female mayoral candidate, has been a member of the Inglewood Community Board since 2022, is the current chair of Community Boards NZ and is advocating for a stronger community voice and future focused-decision making.

Engineer Greg Mackay is standing again for mayor (he stood in 2022 and placed seventh out of eight candidates), while acupuncturist Peter Marra hopes to revitalise New Plymouth’s business centre with a pilot trial of free parking. Having campaigned unsuccessfully in 2016, Bill Simpson is having another shot at wearing the mayoral chains, while former policeman, business owner and “husband, father, son, brother” John Woodward promises to tackle “immediate issues with real solutions”.

Competition for seats on council is healthy, with 14 candidates going for five “at large” councillor roles, and 30 standing for nine councillor seats across four wards – including Mullet Muzz and the Flag Man. Community board spots are less popular, with the four candidates running for Puketapu Bell Bock elected unopposed, and insufficient candidates for the Clifton and Kaitake boards meaning two byelections will be held next year.

What is at stake?

One of the key local issues is homelessness in the city centre. Rough sleeping has increased by 50% from 2023, with the NPDC recently committing $800,000 over three years to fund a homeless shelter at the YMCA. The majority of mayoral candidates believe the council is not doing enough to help rough sleeping.

Another hot topic among voters is the contentious cycleway barriers (locally referred to as “concrete Tim Tams”) that were recently installed along a four kilometre piece of state highway through the city (fully funded by NZTA to a cost of $3.8 million). While their purpose is to make cyclists safer, drivers complain that the barriers damage cars and emergency services worry that they will affect road access. Some councillors have argued for the removal of the barriers, and the council has agreed to undertake a safety audit.

The first phase of the highly-debated Tūparikino Active Community Hub is scheduled to open in 2027. After cost increases, criticism and delays, last year the NPDC committed up to $50 million to help build the multi-use sports hub and indoor stadium, which will improve recreation facilities across the district and provide more opportunities for national sports and lifestyle events.

As they are everywhere, rates are also a big issue: not least because an annual plan bungle in July mistakenly raised them by 12.8% rather than the agreed 9.9%, and councillors had to find $3.1m in savings to absorb the cost of the error.

The race in a sentence?

As wide open as the rugged Taranaki coastline.

The nitty gritty

The New Plymouth District Council election is voted under the single transferable vote system. Voting papers should have now arrived. The last day to enrol (for a special vote) is October 10. Your vote needs to be received by midday on Saturday, October 11. Read more race briefings and other Spinoff coverage of the local elections here.