South Canterbury local body election candidates finalised

Community boards in the Timaru and Mackenzie districts are the only areas short of the required candidates when nominations for the 2022 Local Body Elections closed at midday on Friday.

Interest in the elections across the South Canterbury region appears strong with only the Tekapo and Geraldine community boards not filling their quotas with three and four nominations respectively for the boards that have four and six vacancies.

Elections will also not be required in the Pleasant Point-Temuka ward on the Timaru District Council with Michelle Pye and Scott Shannon the only nominations for the two council positions and for the Tekapo ward in the Mackenzie District where Matt Murphy is the sole nomination.

It is a similar story in the Waimate District where Colin Pankhurst is the sole nomination for the Hakataramea-Waihaorunga ward’s councillor position while in the Pareora-Otaio-Makikihi ward, Sandy McAlwee and Tom O’Connor will be elected automatically as well.

South Canterbury’s incumbent councillors on Environment Canterbury, Peter Scott and Elizabeth McKenzie, have been re-elected unopposed.

All other wards and boards are headed to a postal vote.

A surprise absence from the Timaru District Council nominations is deputy mayor Steve Wills who said in May he intended to stand again.

While Waimate and Mackenzie nominations appear up to date past the midday closure point, the Timaru nominations website does not appear to have updated since Thursday evening.

Voting papers will be delivered from September 16 to 21, with voting closing at midday on October 8.

Nominations as listed online 45 minutes after the official close off time were:

MACKENZIE

• Mayoralty (one vacancy): Robin McCarthy, Anne Munro.
• Pukaki Ward (three): Kerry Athol Bellringer, Zhivannah Cole, Mark Frear, Karen Morgan.
• Opuha Ward (three): Murray Cox, Rit Fisher, Cameron Garner, Phillipa Guerin.
• Tekapo Ward (one): Matt Murphy.
• Twizel Community Board (four): Tracey Gunn, Tony Hodges, Mary Murdoch, Jan Spriggs.
• Fairlie Community Board (four): Simon Abbott, Mark Eades, Kieran Guiney, Angela Habraken, Holly Lane, Jodi Payne.
• Tekapo Community Board (four): Sharron Binns, Steve Howes, Caroll Simcox.

TIMARU

• Mayoralty (one): Nigel Bowen, Stu Piddington.
• Geraldine Ward (one): Wayne O’Donnell, Gavin Peter Oliver.
• Pleasant Point-Temuka Ward (two): Michelle Pye, Scott Shannon.
• Timaru Ward (six): Peter George Bennett, Allan Booth, Tony Bunting, Peter Burt, Michael Clarkson, Christine Crosbie, Barbara Gilchrist, Owen (OJ) Jackson, Stu Jackson, Sally Parker, Stu Piddington, Stacey Scott, Daniel Talbot, Troy Titheridge, Shane Wilson.
• Geraldine Community Bd (six): Shane Minnear, Wayne O’Donnell, McGregor Simpson, Rosie Woods.
• Pleasant Point Community Bd (five): Sarah Denton, Raewyn Hessell, Anne Lemmens, Anna Lyon, Ross Munro, Michael Thomas, Kathy Wilkins.
• Temuka Community Bd (five): Gaye Broker, Tracey Jackson, Stephanie McCullough, Nicola Nimo, Charles Scarbrook, Scott Shannon, Scarlett Tott, Ali Talbot.
• Geraldine Licensing Trust (five): Dan Cummings, Nicky Donkers, Jo Hewson, Ross R MacLeod, McGregor Simpson, Rosie Woods.

WAIMATE

• Mayoralty (one): Craig Rowley, Rick Stevens.
• Hakataramea-Waihaorunga Ward (one): Colin Pankhurst.
• Pareora-Otaio-Makikihi Ward (two): Sandy McAlwee, Tom O’Connor.
• Lower Waihao Ward (one): Bruce Murphy, Lisa Small.
• Waimate Ward (four): John Begg, Jonathan Charles Bird, Sharyn Cain, Peter Collins, Julie Dee, Fabia Fox, Sarah Huggins, Peter David Paterson, Rick Stevens, Tom Williams.

ENVIRONMENT CANTERBURY

• South Canterbury/Ōtuhituhi Regional Constituency (two): Elizabeth McKenzie, Peter Scott.