Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

New mayor of Whanganui beats Laws's deputy

Updated at 8:22 pm on 9 October 2010

Whanganui's new mayor is Annette Main, defeating the outgoing mayor's deputy.

Ms Main says she won the office by just a few hundred votes from six-year deputy mayor Dot McKinnon.

The race was opened by the resignation from the mayoralty by Michael Laws, who returns as a Whanganui District councillor.

As well as winning the mayoralty Ms Main was the highest polling candidate for council.

She says Mr Laws is third or fourth in the poll, demonstrating a hunger for collaborative leadership.

Ms Main says the general feeling in the community is that there hasn't been enough community involvement.

Ms Main owns a tourism lodge on the Whanganui River and has been a Manawatu-Whanganui regional councillor for four terms.

Manawatu and Rangitikei

Rangitikei's Chalky Leary was elected unopposed.

In Palmerston North, incumbent Jono Naylor's 15,942 votes easily defeated former mayor Mark Bell-Booth with just 2000.

Copyright © 2010, Radio New Zealand