Regional Council Election Results: Analysis of Voter Turnout and Margins

Regional Council Election Results: Analysis of Voter Turnout and Margins

The latest election data provides a comprehensive look at voter sentiment across various territorial authorities and regional councils. By analyzing the margins between those who voted to Keep and those who voted to Remove, we can identify clear geographic trends in public opinion and engagement.

The results are divided between territorial authorities (city and district councils) and regional councils, with further granular data available for specific wards. This breakdown reveals a significant divide in voting patterns between general wards and Māori wards.

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Key Facts

  • Total Votes: A total of 1,078,949 votes were cast across all regions.
  • Overall Outcome: The "Keep" vote won with 542,134 votes (50.25%) compared to 467,923 "Remove" votes (43.37%).
  • Highest Turnout: Greater Wellington RC saw the highest regional engagement with 187,872 total votes.
  • Strongest Support: Wellington CC recorded the largest positive margin for "Keep" among territorial authorities with 28,312 votes.
  • Māori Ward Trends: Across almost all districts, Māori wards showed overwhelming support for "Keep," often exceeding 90%.

Regional and Territorial Authority Performance

The data shows a varied landscape. While urban centers like Wellington and Porirua showed strong support for maintaining the status quo, several district councils leaned toward removal.

Regional Council Overview

Among the regional councils, Greater Wellington RC stood out with a significant margin of 46,615 votes in favor of "Keep." In contrast, Taranaki RC and Hawke's Bay RC saw negative margins, indicating a preference for removal in those regions.

Territorial Authority Highlights

The territorial authorities displayed a wide spectrum of results. Wellington CC led the way with a 34.71% margin in favor of "Keep." Conversely, councils such as Matamata-Piako DC and Thames-Coromandel DC showed strong "Remove" sentiments, with margins of -23.59% and -16.37% respectively.

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Detailed Voting Breakdown

To better understand the scale of the results, the following table summarizes the total performance across all participating councils.

Summary of Total Election Results
Category Keep (Votes) Keep (%) Remove (Votes) Remove (%) Total Turnout
Overall Totals 542,134 50.25% 467,923 43.37% 1,078,949
Greater Wellington RC 109,644 58.36% 63,029 33.55% 187,872
Wellington CC 52,677 64.58% 24,365 29.87% 81,574

Ward-Level Analysis

When drilling down into specific wards, the contrast between general and Māori wards becomes stark. General wards often fluctuated or leaned toward "Remove," while Māori wards consistently reported high "Keep" percentages.

General Ward Trends

In the Taupō District Council, the Taupō general ward showed a strong preference for removal with a -35.13% margin. Similarly, the Mercury Bay general ward in Thames-Coromandel recorded a -33.28% margin.

Māori Ward Trends

Māori wards showed exceptional consistency. For example, the Te Ipu Wai Taketake Māori ward in Rotorua Lakes Council recorded a 96.33% "Keep" vote, and the Rangitāiki Māori ward in Whakatāne reached 98.61%.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What was the overall result of the vote?

The overall result was a victory for the "Keep" side, which secured 50.25% of the total votes (542,134) against 43.37% for "Remove" (467,923).

Which council had the highest number of votes?

Greater Wellington RC had the highest turnout of any single entity, with a total of 187,872 votes cast.

How did Māori wards differ from general wards?

Māori wards showed overwhelmingly higher support for "Keep," frequently exceeding 90%, whereas general wards were more divided and often leaned toward "Remove."

Which territorial authority had the strongest "Keep" margin?

Wellington CC had the strongest positive margin among territorial authorities, with a margin of 28,312 votes (34.71%).

What was the total voter turnout across all regions?

The total turnout across all regional and territorial authorities was 1,078,949 votes.

References

  1. Māori for "young people"
  2. "Local Authority Election Statistics 2025". Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  3. "Local elections 2025: Overview". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  4. "Local elections 2025: Your enrolment pack". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. "Local elections 2025: Māori roll or general roll". Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 February 2025.