Kerry squeaks home – for now

Kerry Prendergast has a margin of just 40 votes on the ordinary votes. If this holds up against specials, then it will be congrats to Kerry on winning a 4th term – a hard thing to do in an STV environment where all the votes of those against you accumulate.

Either way it is congrats to Celia Wade-Brown for a strong campaign. Celia did not stand for Council again, but if she does lose and stays active may be a front runner for 2013.

There are 900 special votes, so Celia may still win. She needs to be ranked higher than Kerry in 52.3% of the specials.

(Note re-written from the original which was based on a media story declaring Kerry elected)

UPDATE: We now have fuller results:

• In Northern Ward Justin Lester has beaten Hayley Wain. Lester topped the ward followed by best and then Ritchie – groan but at least she was last elected.
• In Onslow-Western the three sitting Councillors all got re-elected. in order Foster, Morrison and Coughlan. Ruben lost badly which is good.
• Lambton Ward saw the three incumbents re-elected also – in order McKinnon, Pannett and Cook. Marcus Ganley came close to winning the last spot off Cook.
• In Eastern Ward, Rob Goulden lost his seat to Swampy Marsh. Most of his fellow Councillors will be happy with that. In fact Goulden came 5th behind Allan Probert also. Gill topped the ward ahead of Ahipene-Mercer which surprises me a bit.
• In Southern Ward they re-elected Paul Eagle and sadly Bryan Pepperell.

For the Wellington Regional Council, the results are:

• Wellington – Fran Wilde, Chris Laidlaw, Judith Aitken, Paul Bruce and Daran Ponter
• Lower Hutt – Peter Glensor, Sandra Greig, Prudence Lamason
• Porirua-Tawa – Jenny Brash, Barbara Donaldson
• Kapiti Coast – not known
• Upper Hutt – Paul Swain
• Wairarapa – Gary McPhee