Wellingtonians have narrowly voted to keep the current voting system for the 2010 and 2013 local body elections.
The result, which sees Wellington retain the Single Transferable Vote system, was released on Saturday afternoon.
Single Transferable Votes require people to rank their choice of candidates, while the First Past the Post system elects whichever candidate receives the highest number of votes.
Under the Local Electoral Act, the system must be reviewed by the Wellington City Council every six years.
This year, a postal ballot held over the last three weeks offered Wellingtonians the choice between Single Transferable Vote or First Past the Post.
When polling closed on Saturday, 22,209 voters chose STV, only 476 more than those opting for FPP.
The overall turnout from papers mailed to homes was just over 33%.
Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett says she is thrilled with the "yes" vote to retain STV.
However, she says the vote cost $185,000 to hold and the council should not spend such money on similar polls in the future.
