Two Māori ward councillors have been named for Palmerston North

Published on 18 August 2022

The Electoral Officer has declared that the two Te Pūao Māori ward candidates, Roly Fitzgerald and Debi Marshall-Lobb, will be elected as councillors. Since only two nominations were received for the two seats in Te Pūao Māori ward, no election will be necessary.

This is the first time that Palmerston North will have Māori ward councillors, after the Council resolved to establish a Māori ward with two seats in 2021. Te Pūao Māori ward councillors will have a particular responsibility to represent people of Māori descent on the Māori electoral roll and to bring forward Māori views and aspirations. But just like Te Hirawanui general ward councillors, they will also represent the entire city.

Mr Fitzgerald and Ms Marshall-Lobb will take office at the same time as the other successful candidates after election day and they will be sworn in together at the end of October.

With no election necessary for Te Pūao Māori ward, this means that the Palmerston North residents on the Māori electoral roll will receive voting papers for mayor of Palmerston North City Council and the Tonga Māori constituency for Horizons Regional Council.

The elections for Te Hirawanui general ward  (33 candidates for 13 seats) and for mayor (4 candidates for 1 seat) will see voting papers being sent out on Friday 16 September, with voting closing at 12pm on Saturday 8 October 2022.