News
- Sixteen candidates confirmed for upcoming Gore District Council election scheduled for October.
- Mayoral race features Ben Bell seeking re-election against former councillor Nicky Davis.
- Mataura Community Board short of nominees, triggering an additional by-election for one seat.
The Gore District Council will hold elections in October, with positions across the mayoralty and two of its four wards to be contested. When nominations closed at midday today, 16 candidates had confirmed their intention to run, compared to 19 in the last election three years ago.
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News Desk
First-term mayor Ben Bell will face a challenge from former district councillor Nicky Davis for the leadership role. In the Gore ward, six candidates are competing for five available seats, while the at-large ward has five contenders fighting for three positions.
Current rural councillors John Gardyne and Steward MacDonell were re-elected without opposition. Meanwhile, former Mataura Community Board chair Nicky Coats has secured the Mataura ward seat unopposed.
The Mataura Community Board saw only four nominations for its five seats, leaving one vacancy that will require a by-election. This is a notable drop from 10 nominations in the 2022 election.
The Mataura Licensing Trust’s three Gore ward seats are also being contested, with six candidates vying for those positions.
The full list of candidates is:
Gore District Council
Mayoralty:
• Ben Bell
• Nicky Davis
At-large ward (3 vacancies):
• Steven (Boko) Dixon
• Gary McIntyre
• Neville Phillips
• Torrone Smith
• Joe Stringer
Rural ward (elected unopposed):
• John Gardyne• Stewart MacDonell
Mataura ward (elected unopposed)
• Nicky Coats
Gore ward (5 vacancies)
• Donna Bruce
• Mel Cupit (Independent)
• Andy Fraser (Independent)
• Jess Hudson
• Robert (Caveman) McKenzie
• Paul McPhail (Independent)
Mataura Community Board (5 vacancies)
• Steven (Boko) Dixon
• Michelle Hamilton
• Tanya Rowling
• Laurel Turnbull
Mataura Licensing Trust
Ward 1 (elected unopposed)
• Horace McAuley
Ward 2 (3 vacancies)
• Kylie Aitken
• Jimmy Allison
• Casey Eason
• Jim Geddes
• Paul Henry
• Craig Marshall
Ward 3 (elected unopposed)
• Brendon (Moe) Murray
Ward 4 (elected unopposed)
• Vince Aynsley
Ward 5 (elected unopposed)
• Jeannine Cunningham
Ward 6 (elected unopposed)
• Marc RobertsonWard 7 (elected unopposed)
• Todd Lyders
Gore & Districts Health Incorporated
Gore ward (elected unopposed)
• Kylie Fisken
• Tracy Hicks
• Nigel Moore
• Maeva Smith
Clutha ward (elected unopposed)
• Cecil Crawford
Southland ward (1 vacancy)
• No nominations
Voting opens on Tuesday 9 September. Details for all candidates are available on the
Electionz website.