Preliminary results for the Ruapehu District Council elections have been released today, earlier than anticipated, following efficient processing by Electionz.com.
The results show no changes from the progress results released on Saturday.
Voter turnout reached 50%, with 4,172 voting papers returned (excluding special votes).
Weston Kirton has been re-elected as Mayor with 2,330 votes.
The Māori Ward will be retained, with 51.1% of voters choosing to keep the ward.
Four sitting General Ward councillors have been re-elected - Robyn Gram, Viv Hoeta, Rabbit Nottage, and Brenda Ralph - and will be joined by two new councillors, Luke Pepper and John Chapman.
Kuru Ketu, Korty Wilson, and Channey Duncan Turoa Iwikau have been elected as Māori Ward Councillors.
All three Community Boards will see a mix of returning and new members.
"Thank you to everyone who participated in this election," said Chief Executive Clive Manley. "Whether you stood as a candidate or cast your vote, you've contributed to our democratic process and the future of our district."
These preliminary results are based on all ordinary voting papers received up to and including Saturday 11 October. Special votes have not yet been included.
Final results are expected to be declared on Thursday 16 October once all special votes have been verified and counted.
Full preliminary results are available here:
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