Nominations for seats up for grabs at this year’s local body elections closed last Friday.

In the Te Puke district, elections will take place to find three Western Bay of Plenty District councillors to represent the Maketū -Te Puke ward.

Voters will also elect four members of the Maketū Community Board and the expanded Te Puke-East Community Board.

In the case of the Te Puke-East board, the geographic area has been divided with three representatives to be found from the Te Puke subdivision and two from the Eastern subdivision.

Two councillors from the ward will be appointed to the Te Puke-East Community Board and one to the Maketū Community Board.

For the Maketū -Te Puke Ward, current councillors Andy Wichers, Laura Rae and Grant Dally have again thrown their hats into the ring.

Wichers was elected for the first time at the 2022 local body elections while Rae was elected in a by-election after the death of councillor Richard Crawford.

Dally was first elected to the council in 2016. Former Maketū Community Board chairman Shane Beech is another nominee.

Beech had put himself forward in 2022 but withdrew for health reasons.

He nevertheless received enough votes to have been elected to the council had he not pulled out, his withdrawal coming too late for his name to be removed from voting papers.

The other two candidates for the ward seats are Manvir Singh Mann and John Bowden.

The Western Bay’s community board boundaries for the 2025 local body elections. Photo / Supplied

Western Bay Deputy Mayor and long-time councillor John Scrimgeour is running for one of two vacancies in the Bay of Plenty regional council’s Western Bay constituency.

There are six people contesting four seats on Maketū Community Board - Sue Elliot, Weina Moko, Stephan Simpson, Cecil (Moki) Thomas, Leni (Beau) Walters and Aleisha Waterhouse.

Four people will vie for three seats available on Te Puke-East Community Board from the Te Puke subdivision – current chairwoman Kassie Ellis, and current community board members Dale Snell and Karen Summerhays and Marara Williams.

There are only two nominations for the two seats representing the Eastern constituency – Sally Benning and Manvir Singh Mann.

There are eight people contesting the district mayoralty, current mayor James Denyer, Suaree Borell, Grant Dally, Danielle Borell Faa’soo, John Holyoake, Rodney Joyce, Margaret Murray-Benge and Don Thwaites.

Three people will battle it out for the single Waka Kai Uru Māori Ward seat - Carlton Bidois, Suaree Borell and Darlene Dinsdale.

The Local Government Commission’s determination on council’s representation arrangements for the 2025 and 2028 elections was made in April this year.

The commission determined a hybrid structure combining key aspects of the model put forward by the council, but retaining and slightly reshaping the current community board set-up to ensure more balanced and inclusive representation.

What this means for the 2025 elections

Every voter can cast three votes: one for mayor, one for ward councillor(s), and community board members.

The council’s structure will consist of a mayor and a reduced number of nine councillors:

Katikati-Waihī Beach Ward – two councillors, Kaimai Ward – three councillors, Maketū-Te Puke Ward – three councillors.

Waka Kai Uru (district-wide Māori ward) – one councillor

There will be five community boards:

Katikati Community Board: four elected community board members, one appointed councillor from the Katikati-Waihī Beach General Ward.

Waihī Beach Community Board: four elected community board members, one appointed councillor from the Katikati-Waihī Beach General Ward.

Maketū Community Board: four elected community board members, one appointed councillor from the Maketū-Te Puke General Ward.

Te Puke–Eastern Community Board: three elected community board members from the Te Puke Subdivision, two elected community board members from the Eastern Subdivision, two appointed councillors from the Maketū-Te Puke General Ward.

Ōmokoroa–Kaimai Community Board: two elected community board members from the Ōmokoroa Subdivision, two elected community board members from the Kaimai West Subdivision, two elected community board members from the Kaimai East Subdivision, two appointed councillors from the Kaimai General Ward.

A binding poll will also run alongside the 2025 election, giving the community the final say on whether the Māori ward should remain in place for future elections.