Mayoral candidate Len Salt has a clear lead of 4265 votes in the Thames-Coromandel District Council local elections, with approximately 90 per cent of the votes counted.

John Freer has 2136 votes and Cherie Staples is in third with 1548 votes.

By Sunday morning, approximately 97 per cent of votes should be counted and will be released in what is called the preliminary results.

After the remaining Special Votes that haven't yet been counted are included, then the final results will be released next week.

'I'm really excited to see the new faces on our Council and Community Boards of people who are deeply connected with our communities,” says Len.

'I owe a huge thank you to all the people who have supported me on this journey over the last few years.

"We have a unique opportunity to grow and expand the collaboration between Council and the people in our communities who are out there making a difference every day. We have some significant challenges ahead. However, I'm absolutely confident that we can meet these and take Thames-Coromandel District forward to a more resilient future,” says Len.

The new and returning elected members will get straight to work next week as a thorough induction programme into council and how local government works begins.

The new electoral term's Mayor, Councillors and Community Board Members will be officially sworn in at the council's inaugural meeting in November.

Below are the early (progress) results for the Local Elections 2022 for Mayor, Councillors and Community Board Members for Thames-Coromandel District.
Mayor
• 1) Len Salt - 4265
• John Freer - 2136
• Cherie Staples - 1548
• Steve Hart - 862
• Ron Julian - 851
• Eric Carter - 599
• Peter Pinkham - 467

Councillors
Coromandel-Colville WARD (One Councillor)
• John Morrissey (Elected Unopposed)
Mercury Bay WARD (Three Councillors)
• 1) Rekha Giri-Percival - 1944
• 2) John Grant - 1592
• 3) Deli Connell - 1330
• Candice Van de Ven - 1159
• Grahame Christian - 780
• Ivan Steenhuis - 596
• Caroline Hobman - 402
South Eastern WARD (Two Councillors)
• 1) Gary Gotlieb - 1644
• 2) Terry Walker - 1501
• Chris New - 1247
• Reuben Van Dorsten - 997
Thames WARD (Three Councillors)
• 1) Robyn Sinclair - 2288
• 2) Martin Rodley - 1906
• 3) Peter Revell - 1831
• Warren Sly - 1036
• Phillip Bridge - 679
• Jenny Arnold - 645
• Patrick O'Brien - 616

Community Board Members
Coromandel-Colville COMMUNITY BOARD (Four Community Board Members)
• 1) Gavin Jeffcoat - 718
• 2) Kim Brett - 623
• 3) Jean Ashby - 587
• 4) James Davis - 585
• Pamela Grealey - 362
• Shirley Mangakahia - 282
• Abby Morgan - 215
• Alasdair Macdonald - 123
Mercury Bay COMMUNITY BOARD (Four Community Board Members)
• 1) Peter MacKenzie - 2083
• 2) Krissy Robinson - 1752
• 3) Bess Kingi - 1613
• 4) Caroline Hobman - 1274
• Billie Hunter - 1156
Tairua-Pāuanui COMMUNITY BOARD (Four Community Board Members)
• 1) Warwick Brooks - 961
• 2) Chris New - 936
• 3) Cath Wightman - 886
• 4) Barry Roberts - 827
• Nathaniel Blomfied - 656
Thames COMMUNITY BOARD (Four Community Board Members)
• 1) Adrian Catran - 2219
• 2) Holly MacKenzie - 1892
• 3) Rob Johnston - 1629
• 4) Kishan Raikwar - 1509
• Fiona Cameron - 1457
• Chris Dale - 1015
• Peter Thomas - 865
• Kara-Leah Grant - 809
Whangamatā COMMUNITY BOARD (Four Community Board Members)
• 1) Dave Ryan - 1353
• 2) Denis Beaver - 1233
• 3) Mark Drury - 1186
• 4) Neil Evans - 900
• Aimee Sorrell - 420