Checkpoint is a drive-time news and current affairs programme on Radio New Zealand National. It broadcasts nationwide every weekday evening for two hours and covers the day’s major national and international stories, as well as business, sport and Māori news. This recording is a special broadcast covering the results of local body elections. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:
Checkpoint FOR SATURDAY 12 OCTOBER 2013
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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This is the Checkpoint Local Election Special. Over the next hour we will analyse the results and speak to the winners. First to Christchurch where voters have gone for change across the board. Lianne Dalziel has comfortably won the mayoralty by more than 48-thousand votes. And the city has nine new councillors. One of those voted in today says public anger over the role of the former chief executive, Tony Marryatt, has contributed to today's clean sweep. And of all of the councillors who voted to give Mr Marryatt a pay rise, just one of them, Jamie Gough, has been returned. The former deputy mayor, Ngaire Button, has been resoundingly defeated in the Shirley Papanui ward, along with another sitting councillor, Aaron Keown. (cue-in) Lianne Dalziel is promising a new democracy in Christchurch.
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Len Brown has been returned as mayor of Auckland with a comfortable margin over his nearest challenger John Palino. Mr Brown received nearly 149 thousand votes, with Mr Palino on almost 99 thousand. He will lead an Auckland Council with up to six new faces, but no obvious political swing.
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The Mayor of Hamilton, Julie Hardaker has won a second term in office. She beat her nearest rival, Ewan Wilson by just over two thousand seven hundred votes (2770) And the city has voted overwhelmingly for the return of fluoride into the city's water supply. Julie Hardaker defends the council's handling of the controversy and she's delighted to become the first mayor in some time to be re-elected in Hamilton.
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In the Hamilton referendum, 70 percent voted to have fluoride return to their water - 23-thousand votes to 10-thousand. The council voted 7-1 to to stop adding the chemical to the supply earlier this year - and that prompted an outcry. The chief executive of the Waikato DHB Craig Climo is with us now.
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Rotorua has its first woman mayor with former Labour MP Steve Chadwick romping in with a big margin over Keven Winters who's been ousted after three terms. The new mayor has almost 11-thousand votes compared to Mr Winters 4500.
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Rotorua's new mayor, Steve Chadwick. Voter turnout was 40 percent, down a little on the last election's 43 percent.
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17. 30 HEADLINES
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Voter turnout appears to be on a par with the 2007 local elections with an estimated 43 percent of voters taking part. The President of Local Government New Zealand, and newly returned mayor of Hastings, is Lawrence Yule.
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It's all change in Northland - with new mayors in both districts The former National Party MP, John Carter, has resoundingly ousted Wayne Brown as mayor of the Far North. It was a decisive victory for Mr Carter - with 8521 votes - more than three times the tally for his nearest rival - the incumbent Wayne Brown. Mr Carter was National MP for the Far North for 24 years - and resigned as High Commissioner to the Cook Islands to come home and run for mayor. He's campaigned on themes like unity, and connecting with the community. John Carter says the landslide result is a compliment.
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With us now - our Northland reporter Lois Williams.
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More from Auckland, where the mayor Len Brown has been returned with a comfortable margin over his nearest challenger John Palino. Mr Brown received nearly 149 thousand votes, with the centre-right challenger Mr Palino on almost 99 thousand. Turnout in Auckland has slumped by about one third since the previous election, with the council expecting the final figure to be 35 per cent. Mr Brown said his campaign team had focussed on the issues that Aucklander's care about - housing, transport and the budget. He thanked his fellow councillors and the council staff for working so hard to bring the amalgamated city together in its first term.
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The runner-up, Centre-right candidate John Palino says the support he received shows voters are not happy with the way the council is being run. Mr Palino was a newcomer to politics scene when he started his campaign five months ago. He is very disappointed, but encouraged by the level of support he gained during a short campaign.
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The 19-seat Auckland Council which Len Brown will lead will have five new faces, possibly six, with the race for the Whau Ward too close to call, but with no obvious swing to either the right or left.
Our Auckland correspondent Todd Niall is with us now
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Open Michael Laws has failed to win back the mayorilty of Wanganui, but will remain a councillor and says he will give it another shot in 2016. The incumbent Annette Main has been re-elected with 53 percent of the vote, with Mr Laws receiving 38 percent. He says he thoroughly enjoyed the campaign.
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New Plymouth has voted out Harry Duynhoven as mayor. Voters have elected two-term councillor Andrew Judd to become mayor by a huge majority, 16 thousand and eight hundred votes to Mr Duynhoven's seven thousand six hundred votes. Our Taranaki reporter Juliet Larkin is with us now.
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Tim Shabolt has been returned in Invercargill City and now holds the title of New Zealand's longest serving mayor. Mr Shadbolt served two terms as Mayor of Waitakere City from 1983 and was first elected in invercragill in 1993. Although he lost the election in 1996, he was returned again in 1998 and has remained there ever since. He says he delighted to set a New Zealand record.
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That's the record setting Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt talking to our reporter Steve Wilde.
And Steve is with us now from Queenstown with other results - Steve a new mayor for the Southland District?
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Dave Cull has been re-elected mayor of Dunedin for a second term. There also appears to be some significant change to the city's councillors. With the latest, our Otago reporter, Ian Telfer is with me from Dunedin.
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In Nelson, there's a new face at the head of the city council. The incumbent mayor Aldo Miccio has been knocked off the top spot by sitting Councillor Rachel Reese. She says she's committed to following through on her campaign promises:
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Mr Miccio admits he's very disappointed:
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In Tauranga, Stuart Crosby has successfully retained the chains to serve a fourth term as Mayor. He received about 600 more votes than his nearest rival, Kelvin Clout (9 547). Meanwhile only three out of ten councillors on the Tauranga City Council have held onto their positions with three younger candidates succesfully getting voted onto the Council. Stuart Crosby says some very strong signals have come from the community about the desire for change.
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Voter turnout was 35 and a half percent. In Western Bay voters have re-elected Ross Paterson as Mayor. He received more than 4500 (4536) votes and has a clear majority over his nearest rival, Mark Boyle who has about 3600 (3672) votes. In Thames Coromandel, Glenn Leach has been re-elected Mayor. The progressive results show the incumbent received 7862 votes, more than 6000 (sub 1049) votes clear of his only rival, Ben Parsons. In eastern Bay of Plenty, all three Mayors have been returned for another term in office. Tony Bonne for Whakatane, Malcolm Campbell for Kawerau and John Forbes for Opotiki. For John Forbes it will be his fifth term as Mayor.
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With the latest from the Wellington race - Our reporter Emma Beer
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The makeup of the Hawke's Bay Regional Council remains uncertain with one key result to be decided on outstanding votes. In the Hastings the Regional Councillor Kevin Rose is leading candidate Tom Belford by just 16 votes. Mr Belford says he is not yet ready to concede defeat.
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Of the other eight positions on the regional council, three councillors - Alan Dick, Christine Scott and Fenton Wilson, have been returned. Three newly elected councillors, Peter Beaven, Rex Graham and Rick Barker, have raised serious questions about the Ruataniwha Dam project. Another new councillor, Dave Pipe, says he is neither for nor against the dam and wants to see whether the project stacks up financially and environmentally. Debbie Hewitt, who supports the dam in principle, has also been elected for the first time. The new mayor of Napier, Bill Dalton, has won with more than twice the votes of his nearest rival. Mr Dalton has served on the council for two terms and takes the place of retired mayor Barbara Arnott. He says he plans to continue the sound financial management of the city that he inherits.
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The Ruapehu District has elected a new mayor amidst the ongoing water crisis in the town of Raetihi. Don Cameron steps up from deputy to the top job after Sue Morris stood down. He says his priority will be to set up a business unit in the council to improve the district's broadband infrastructure. Mr Cameron was a central figure immediately after diesel spilled into the Makotuku stream, cutting off Raetihi's water supply. He says it was a good test for him before becoming mayor.
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Presenter: Mary Wilson
Editor: Maree Corbett
Deputy editor: Susie Ferguson