The political futures of 10 Waipā candidates rest with special votes which are unlikely to be processed before tomorrow. (Thursday)
Liz Stolwyk, left, and Stu Kneebone.
Cambridge News 16 October 2025
As The News went to press, Liz Stolwyk and Stu Kneebone were neck and neck in the race for the second of two Waipā-King Country spots – Garry Reymer is comfortably in – on the Waikato Regional Council.
In Cambridge, Aidhean Camson, Pip Kempthorne, Dave Marinkovich, Hope Spooner, Mike Cater, Barry Quayle, Chris Minneē and Stewart Dromgool are all on tenterhooks.
About 600 special votes are to be counted.
A surge followed last week’s front-page story – Voters leave it late – and a ‘drive and drop’ initiative outside council offices on Saturday, and added 3057 votes in just three days.
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- Aidhean Camson
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- Pip Kempthorne
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- Dave Marinkovich
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- Hope Spooner
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- Mike Cater
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- Barry Quayle
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- Chris Minneē
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- Stewart Dromgool
Cambridge News 9 October 2025
That took the Cambridge ward return through to 44.47 per cent of all voters and contributed to a hometown Mike Pettit mayoral victory over incumbent Susan O’Regan and Clare St Pierre.
Pettit’s win marks an historic moment – the first Cambridge mayor in 24 years, and only the second in Waipā’s 36-year history.
Pettit’s 1222 vote margin was comfortable enough on Monday for O’Regan to ring and concede. He must now gather whatever troops he knows he has and talk about who will be his deputy and who will chair council committees.
The experienced St Pierre is odds-on, according to The News sources, for the deputy role. It makes practical sense – she lives in Pirongia and has served on council since 2013 – and some say it’s politically the right move for Pettit.
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- Clare St Pierre
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- Roger Gordon
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- Marcus Gower
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- Mike Montgomerie
Roger Gordon is likely to pick up chair of a revamped strategy/growth committee while Mike Montgomerie and Marcus Gower should keep finance and regulatory committees. Service delivery is understood to be under review as a committee, but it seems logical in the interim to have St Pierre continue to chair that as well.
Jo Davies-Colley
It appears too soon to elevate Jo Davies-Colley to a committee chair – despite her three years as community board chair and being highest polling candidate in Cambridge.
If Kempthorne is bumped out of the top four, then he will take a spot on the Cambridge Community Board. That would set the stage for a close contest between Dromgool and Minnee for the final seat on the community board.
Spare a thought for Stolwyk, formerly Waipā deputy mayor. Having accepted Saturday’s result, she deactivated her public social media, accepted an invite to attend a tourism conference in China and dropped her work clothes off at Dress for Success.
The early votes were rural ones and Stolwyk’s association with high rate increases at Waipā and a perceived association with the pro Plan Change One brigade counted against her.
But her staunch support in urban Cambridge added substantial numbers and by Monday she was ahead of Kneebone.
“Who would know?” she told The News. “I’m ready, whatever happens.”
Leading the way: Jacqui Church, Adrienne Wilcock, Paula Southgate and Susan O’Regan. Photo: Moko Tepania.
O’Regan was one of three women leaders ousted at the polls. Jacqui Church lost to Aksel Bech in Waikato, Adrienne Wilcock to Ash Tanner in Matamata-Piako and regional council chair Pamela Storey failed to keep her seat. Paula Southgate did not stand, so there are now no female Waikato mayors.
