Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / Simon Rogers
A High Court judge in Auckland has upheld a District Court ruling that voided the outcome of the 2025 local body election in Papatoetoe.
High Court Justice Jane Anderson reserved her decision in February after hearing a petition filed by the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team, which won all four seats on the Local Board subdivision.
A new election will be held in Papatoetoe, with voting opening on 9 March.
Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team candidates (from left) Kushma Nair, Sandeep Saini, Kunal Bhalla and Paramjeet Singh RNZ / Blessen Tom
In February, Ben Keith, legal counsel representing the winning candidates, called Manukau District Court Judge Richard McIlraith’s decision in December “neither fair, nor sound”.
Simon Mitchell, representing the Labour candidates in the local body election, described the voting irregularities as “significant”.
Twenty candidates have since thrown their hat into the ring to contest the new Papatoetoe subdivision election that has been organised following the District Court ruling in December.
Voting opens on 9 March and closes at midday on 9 April, with ballots sent by post to all eligible voters.
Labour candidates contesting the 2026 Papatoetoe local body election (from left) Avinash Kaur Dhaliwal, Lehopoaome Vi Hausia, Raj Pardeep Singh and Ashraf Choudhary RNZ / Blessen Tom
In December, Judge McIlraith ruled that voting irregularities materially affected the result of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board election, declaring it void.
At a preliminary hearing, Judge McIlraith ordered five ballot boxes containing votes from the electorate to be scrutinised.
Seventy-nine voting papers were subsequently identified during examination as having been cast without the rightful voter’s knowledge.
Papatoetoe was the only Auckland electorate to record a significant rise in turnout in the latest local body election.
While other Auckland areas saw turnout drop, voting numbers in Papatoetoe increased by more than 7 percent.
All four seats went to first-time candidates from the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team.
The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board has two subdivisions, with the Ōtara having three seats and Papatoetoe four.
None of the previous local board members of the Papatoetoe subdivision were re-elected.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
