Porirua’s newly elected council has delayed its first official meeting while a court considers a recount application for the Māori ward vote.
The inaugural meeting, where Mayor Anita Baker and elected councillors were set to be sworn in on Thursday, has been postponed until the outcome of the recount is confirmed. Democratic services manager Jack Marshall said the delay was necessary under electoral law.
The recount request comes from Māori ward candidate Jess Te Huia, who narrowly missed out on a seat by just 11 votes to incumbent councillor Kylie Wihapi. Te Huia said concerns over unallocated and missing votes prompted the legal challenge.
“The electoral officer has shown there are unallocated and missing votes,” Te Huia said. “It is important that where they have gone is reported publicly.”
Election results showed 12 informal votes and 28 blank votes in the Māori ward contest, where Raniera Albert and Rawinia Rimene placed third and fourth.
Under the Local Electoral Act, a District Court judge must be satisfied there are “reasonable grounds” to proceed with a recount, including possible counting errors or irregularities.
According to the Local Government Act, councils may not hold their first meeting until final results are declared or any recounts are completed.
Porirua’s council for the 2025–2028 term includes returning and new members: Kathleen Filo, Geoff Hayward, Mike Duncan, Izzy Ford, Hemi Fermanis, Josh Trlin, Nathan Waddle, Moira Lawler, Ross Leggett, and Māori ward representative Kylie Wihapi, pending the court’s decision.