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2025 Elections
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2025 election results
The first council meeting occurred on 29 October 2025. At this inaugural meeting councillors were confirmed with Hilary Calvert elected as chairperson and Kevin Malcolm elected deputy chairperson.Â
Local elections are held every three years by postal vote.
The last election was held on Saturday, 11 October 2025, by postal vote using the Single Transferable Voting (STV) electoral system. The next local election for Otago Regional Council is likely be held in October 2028.
This result includes all ordinary and special ballots cast through the close of voting at noon, 11 October 2025.
The 2025-2028 Councillors for the Otago Regional Council are:
Dunedin Constituency: Â Hilary Calvert, Chanel Gardner, Andrew Noone, Gretchen Robertson, Alan Somerville
Dunstan Constituency: Â Neil Gillespie, Matt Hollyer, Gary Kelliher, Michael Laws
Moeraki Constituency: Â Kevin Malcolm
Molyneux Constituency: Â Robbie Byars, Kate Wilson
A candidate needed 3,236.5 votes to be elected in the final round of STV counting, based on the total number of valid votes remaining at that stage.
| Dunstan Regional Constituency (4 vacancies) | Votes to be elected (rounded) | Count when elected |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS Michael (Vision Otago) | 5,091 | 1 |
| KELLIHER Gary (Vision Otago) | 3,966 | 2 |
| HOLLYER Matt | 3,339 | 5 |
| GILLESPIE Neil | 3,383 | 6 |
| FARRELL Ben | excluded | |
| PONT Amie (Independent) | excluded | |
| RHODES Nicky (Vision Otago) | excluded | |
| INFORMAL | 629 | |
| BLANK VOTING PAPERS | 1,032 | |
| Matt HOLLYER, Neil GILLESPIE, Gary KELLIHER and Michael LAWS are declared elected. | ||
Calculator commentary from last iteration...
- LAWS, elected at iteration 1, reason: Candidate received 5091.000000000 votes and quota was 3450.000000001
- KELLIHER, elected at iteration 2, reason: Candidate received 3965.922803129 votes and quota was 3414.156511576
- RHODES, excluded at iteration 3, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 921.502355320, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (192.031889858)
- PONT, excluded at iteration 4, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 1579.561813184, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (496.548974163)
- HOLLYER, elected at iteration 5, reason: Candidate received 3338.608865970 votes and quota was 3271.418435268
- GILLESPIE, elected at iteration 6, reason: Candidate received 3382.914747234 votes and quota was 3236.501541308
- FARRELL, excluded at iteration 6, reason: All available seats were filled
|
Moeraki Regional Constituency (1 vacancy) |
Votes to be elected (rounded) |
Count when elected |
|
MALCOLM Kevin |
4,340 | 1 |
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LEON DE LA BARRA Sophia |
excluded | Â |
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The final absolute majority of votes (final quota) as determined at the last iteration (AI translation: the total number of votes a candidate needed to be elected in the final round of STV counting, based on the total valid votes remaining at that point.) |
3,305 |
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INFORMAL |
5 |
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BLANK VOTING PAPERS |
613 |
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Kevin MALCOLM is declared elected. |
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Calculator commentary from last iteration...
- MALCOLM, elected at iteration 1, reason: Candidate received 4340 votes and absolute majority of votes was 3305
- LEON DE LA BARRA, excluded at iteration 1, reason: All available seats were filled
|
Molyneux Regional Constituency (2 vacancies) |
Votes to be elected (rounded) |
Count when elected |
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BYARS, Robbie |
3,587 | 2 |
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WILSON, Kate |
3,530 | 2 |
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HOPE (NEE KNOWLER), Carmen Felicity |
excluded | |
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MCCALL, Lloyd |
excluded | |
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The final absolute majority of votes (final quota) as determined at the last iteration (AI Translation: the total number of votes a candidate needed to be elected in the final round of STV counting, based on the total valid votes remaining at that point.) |
3,226.33 | |
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INFORMAL |
189 | |
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BLANK VOTING PAPERS |
1,567 | |
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Robbie BYARS and Kate WILSON are declared elected. |
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Calculator commentary from last iteration...
- HOPE (nee Knowler), excluded at iteration 1, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 1776.000000000, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (0.000000000)
- BYARS, elected at iteration 2, reason: Candidate received 3587.000000000 votes and quota was 3226.333333334
- WILSON, elected at iteration 2, reason: Candidate received 3530.000000000 votes and quota was 3226.333333334
- MCCALL, excluded at iteration 2, reason: All available seats were filled
|
Dunedin Regional Constituency (5 vacancies) |
Votes to be elected (rounded) |
Count when elected |
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CALVERT Hilary (Vision Otago) |
5,501 | 1 |
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NOONE Andrew (Independent) |
3,954 | 1 |
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ROBERTSON Gretchen |
3,951 | 7 |
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GARDNER Chanel |
3,731 | 9 |
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SOMERVILLE Alan (Green Party) |
3,441 | 14 |
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WEIR Elliot |
excluded | |
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MEPHAM Tim (Independent) |
excluded | |
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GLASSEY Phil (Independent) |
excluded | |
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COCKLE James (The Radical Action Faction) |
excluded | |
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KING Alex |
excluded | |
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The final absolute majority of votes (final quota) as determined at the last iteration (AI translation: the total number of votes a candidate needed to be elected in the final round of STV counting, based on the total valid votes remaining at that point.) |
3,439.66 | |
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INFORMAL |
289 | |
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BLANK VOTING PAPERS |
3,431 | |
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Hilary CALVERT, Andrew NOONE, Gretchen ROBERTSON, Chanel GARDNER and Alan SOMERVILLE are declared elected. |
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Calculator commentary from last iteration...
- CALVERT, elected at iteration 1, reason: Candidate received 5501.000000000 votes and quota was 3864.000000001
- NOONE, elected at iteration 1, reason: Candidate received 3954.000000000 votes and quota was 3864.000000001
- KING, excluded at iteration 4, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 752.482876852, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (38.334412751)
- COCKLE, excluded at iteration 5, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 861.372431507, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (129.120084750)
- GLASSEY, excluded at iteration 6, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 1448.321841018, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (148.153601916)
- ROBERTSON, elected at iteration 7, reason: Candidate received 3951.400756432 votes and quota was 3692.417799041
- MEPHAM, excluded at iteration 7, reason: Candidate received the lowest vote count 1869.133719420, less than the second lowest by more than total surplus (615.638409005)
- GARDNER, elected at iteration 9, reason: Candidate received 3731.107016040 votes and quota was 3551.207056219
- SOMERVILLE, elected at iteration 14, reason: Candidate received 3440.588731305 votes and quota was 3439.656695038
- WEIR, excluded at iteration 14, reason: All available seats were filled
Anthony Morton
Electoral Officer
18 October 2025
- All candidates in elections held under the provisions of the Local Electoral Act 2001 must file a return of all electoral donations and expenses. If no donations were received or expenses incurred, a Nil return must be made.
- All candidates are required to keep proper records of donations received and expenses paid for election work. These do not have to be filed with this return but must be available to support enquiries about the return if required.
- Donations can be monetary or physical goods or services supplied or a combination thereof.
- Donations to a candidate of labour only or donations of goods and services that have a fair market value of $300 or less do not have to be declared - see S103A of the LEA 2001.
- Candidates must declare donations from each contributor that exceed $1500 in value. Where a contributor has made donations in instalments that sum to more than $1500 in value, each contributing donation needs to be listed in Section A2 and the aggregated sum shown.
- If there is insufficient space provided in any section, attach a separate sheet with the additional detail.
July 2025
PDF | 2 MB
For voters and potential candidates in the 2025 local body elections. This pre-election report provides you with a snapshot of the important work the Otago Regional Council has been undertaking and the challenges we face in the years to come. It outlines our financial performance over the past three years, the key projects currently underway, and what's on the horizon for the next three years. We also outline how we plan to fund these initiatives, ensuring that we continue to make smart, sustainable decisions for the long-term benefit of Otago.
2022
PDF | 98 KB
2022
PDF | 94 KB
June 2025
PDF | 1 MB
This booklet outlines information which may be of interest to potential candidates and others interested in election issues with general information on the 2025 election. It should be used as a guide only, and candidates or other persons requiring more detailed information should contact the electoral officer or deputy electoral officer directly.
Are you enrolled?
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Ready to vote?
Choose a candidate who represents you! Find out how to vote, where to vote, and when you can vote.
How does Single Transferable Vote work?
Make sure your vote counts in the local body elections. You do not need to rank all candidates, just those you prefer most.
Information on standing for the Otago Regional Council was included as part of joint presentations throughout Otago. Items covered included how the council is structured, the role and responsibilities of elected representatives, skills required, anticipated time commitments, meeting schedules, and an overview of the nomination and election processes.
