Moko Tepania and Ann Court could once again be Far North Mayoral rivals at the next local elections in October. Photo: NZME
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania and Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo are both facing in-house leadership challenges in the upcoming October local elections.
A potential battle between Far North District Council (FNDC) Mayoral foes Tepania (34) and one-time Deputy Mayor Ann Court is on the cards.
And first term Whangārei District Council (WDC) Mayor Vince Cocurullo (51) is being challenged for his role from sitting councillor, Maungatapere's Marie Olsen, a former registered nurse. Olsen launched her campaign on 29 March
Another Whangārei mayoral challenge is also potentially on the cards from Waipu farmer and councillor Ken Couper who is standing at the next elections, but said he was undecided about whether to run for mayor too, in what would be his second tilt at the job.
FNDC councillor Ann Court keeping her cards close as she prepares for the coming local body elections which could see her challenge sitting Mayor Moko Tepania. Photo: Susan Botting / LDR
Far North battle
Court was briefly Far North's provisional mayor in the 2022 local elections, before incumbent Kaikohe's Tepania won the top job after a final vote count.
A local government veteran, Court confirmed to Local Democracy Reporting Northland she would be standing in the 2025 local elections, for the eleventh time.
But when asked whether that would be as mayor in a third tilt and/or Bay of Islands Whangaroa ward councillor, Court said she had yet to decide. Neither would she confirm whether she would be standing as an independent or on a local ticket.
Tepania this week confirmed he will be standing again, for the Far North mayoralty only, in what could be his second term at the helm, after first getting elected to the council in 2019.
[ [h Who plans to run for council?
Local Democracy Reporting Northland approached the region's 63 local government politicians to find out about their early intentions for the 11 October election. About two thirds of the roughly 52 percent of 44 councillors and their leaders who responded are standing again.
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo confirmed he is seeking a second mayoral term after 12 years as a council politician.
FNDC councillor Ann Court keeping her cards close as she prepares for the coming local body elections which could see her challenge sitting Mayor Moko Tepania. Photo: Susan Botting / LDR
In contrast, eight-year WDC politician Kauri's Gavin Benney (62), is not standing.
The anti-fluoride campaigner said his pending departure was nothing to do with his campaign against fluoride being added to WDC drinking water failing.
"I believe we've made great strides in getting the message across about fluoride. It's been pretty monumental and will change how the country views fluoridation in the future. It's just a matter of when the Ministry of Health comes round and water fluoridation's stopped."
Benney said he had decided at Christmas not to stand again, because of growing frustration in his role.
"It's the most frustrating job I've ever had. There's so much bureaucracy."
Benney said councils nationally needed to be more enabling.
"The whole culture of New Zealand's councils is swayed to saying no and should be towards saying yes," he said.
Benney would not comment on whether he would be standing again as New Zealand First candidate for Whangārei.
WDC councillor Gavin Benney says his decision to stand down after eight years as a council politician's got nothing to do with him failing to stop the fluoridation of Whangārei water. Photo: NZME
Olsen said she had thrown her hat into the Mayoral ring over dissatisfaction with the way the council was being run and wanted to do more to make rates affordable.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's northernmost councillor, FNDC politician Lake Ngātu's Mate Radich (77), is also standing down in October over frustration with his council.
"It's the worst it's been in 15 years," Radich said.
He said things were not getting done, citing his 12-year battle to get water from the Sweetwater aquifer into Kaitāia's drinking reticulated supply.
Fifteen-year FNDC politician Mate Radich says he's quitting the role at the October local elections after becoming increasingly disillusioned with his council's performance including big delays successfully getting Sweetwater water into the Kaitāia supply. Photo: NZME
Radich said he had become so disillusioned with his council failing to get basic infrastructure such as roading sorted that he'd started telling community members who asked for assistance that he couldn't help them.
Meanwhile, Kaipara District Council (KDC)'s incumbent Mayor Craig Jepson (66) is standing again, seeking a second term.
KDC's Mark Vincent said he had yet to decide whether to seek re-election but that if he did it would be as a councillor. He was not planning a mayoral challenge
The council's Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward councillor Pera Paniora, will definitely be without her job from 11 October after KDC canned its Māori ward in 2024 following new government legislation.
Paniora said she was still considering whether to stand again - either in KDC in a general ward or Northland Regional Council (NRC) in its Kaipara constituency, given her resource management background.
"Whatever I do, if I decide to stand again, it will be representing Kaipara," Paniora said.
Kaipara Māori ward politician Pera Paniora, fought for the survival of her electoral area at a council meeting in Mangawhai, before it was canned and she lost her position at the next elections as a result. Photo: NZME
Meanwhile, former Northland Federated Farmers president and NRC's current Kaipara constituency councillor, Okahu farmer John Blackwell has confirmed he is standing again.
NRC Chair Hikurangi farmer Geoff Crawford (57) has confirmed he is standing again. NRC councillors, uniquely in Northland, choose their own leader once elected.
Other incumbent regional councillors, former deputy chair and biosecurity consultant Whangārei's Jack Craw (72) and Pataua South ecologist Amy Macdonald (41) are seeking a third term. Langs Beach councillor and teacher Rick Stolwerk (68) is seeking a fourth.
NRC councillor and Kerikeri organic producer Marty Robinson is undecided on standing again.
Northland's three FNDC community board chairs (from left) Te Hiku's Adele Gardner, Kaikohe-Hokianga's Chicky Rudkin and Bay of Islands-Whangaroa's Belinda Ward at their 2022 formal swearing in ceremony. Photo: Susan Botting / LDR
Northland local government politicians' intentions for 2025
FNDC: Mayor, 10 councillors and 19 community board members; Ahipara's Felicity Foy and Paparoa's Babe Kapa - standing again as councillors. Awanui's Hilda Halkyard-Harawira - not yet sure whether she will seek re-election but said if she did it would be in the council's Ngā Tai o Tokerau ward.
Waipapa's Steve McNally - plans not yet finalised.
Meanwhile, less than a quarter of community board members responded to the survey.
Bay of Islands - Whangaroa Community Board's chairperson Belinda Ward will be standing again in the Paihia subdivision, Roddy Pihema in the Kawakawa-Moerewa subdivision. Jane Hindle has not yet decided whether she will be standing, but if she does it would be in the Russell-Ōpua subdivision.
Te Hiku community board chairperson Kaitāia's Adele Gardner said she had not yet decided whether she will stand again.
WDC: Mayor and 13 councillors; Whangārei's Nicholas Connop (39), Dr Carol Peters and Paul Yovich plus Ngunguru's Scott McKenzie (41) are also all standing as councillors again. Māori ward councillor Deb Harding is yet to decide.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
