Voting for the 2025 Auckland local elections closed at midday, ending a morning rush of last-minute ballots dropped across the city.

Council staff have now sealed and collected vote boxes, with preliminary results expected on Monday 13 October.

As of Friday, turnout sat at 23.1 percent, down six points on the 2022 election.

Auckland Council’s General Manager of Governance and Engagement, Lou-Ann Ballantyne, said the low participation rate was disappointing despite wider access to vote boxes and postal options.

“Anecdotally, we’ve heard people didn’t know who to vote for. And typically, when voters are unsure about candidates or are happy with the status quo, they’re likely to abstain,” she said.

“We’ll review our processes to improve future participation.”

By 1.30pm on Saturday, with most votes counted, Wayne Brown was leading the mayoralty with 146,642 votes ahead of Kerrin Leoni on 56,612 and Ted Johnston on 21,661.

Auckland Council Chief Executive Phil Wilson confirmed Brown’s provisional election to the 2025–2028 mayoral term.

See the full list of progress results at: voteauckland.co.nz/results2025

In the Albany Ward, Victoria Short (Fix Auckland) looks set for her first councillor role with 12,862 votes, while incumbents John Watson (12,299) and Wayne Walker (11,851) remain neck-and-neck for the second seat.

North Shore councillor Richard Hills holds a solid lead with 15,682 votes, followed by John Gillon on 12,976 and Danielle Grant on 9,592.

In Rodney, Greg Sayers was elected unopposed.

For Hibiscus Coast residents, the results in nearby wards such as Albany and Rodney will shape representation on key transport and growth decisions in the years ahead.

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