2025 Hamilton City Council election

2025 Hamilton City Council election

11 October 2025
Turnout38,063
Mayoral election
 
Candidate Tim Macindoe Sarah Thomson
Affiliation Independent Independent
Primary vote 16,895 9,240
Percentage 44.39% 24.28%
Final vote 18,275 10,183
Percentage 50.30% 28.03%

 
Candidate Maria Huata Rachel Karalus
Affiliation Independent Independent
Primary vote 3,718 3,049
Percentage 9.77% 8.01%
Final vote 4,329 3,546
Percentage 11.91% 9.76%

Mayor before election

Paula Southgate
Independent

Elected mayor

Tim Macindoe
Independent

Council election

14 seats on the Hamilton City Council
8 seats needed for a majority
Party Seats +/–
Independent

10 −2
Better Hamilton

4 +4
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2025 Hamilton City Council election was a local election held from 9 September to 11 October in Hamilton, New Zealand, as part of that year's territorial authority elections and other local elections held nation-wide.

Voters elected the mayor of Hamilton and 14 city councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Hamilton City Council. Postal voting and the single transferable vote system were used.

A finalised list of candidate names was released by the City Council on 4 August identifying 52 candidates, including 12 candidates for mayor. Incumbent mayor Paula Southgate did not run for re-election.

Councillor Tim Macindoe won the mayoralty, with fellow councillor Sarah Thomson coming in second place.

The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election; in a referendum on its future held at this election (as part of a nation-wide series of referendums) voters elected to keep the Māori ward.