Peter de Graaf

Northland's Kaipara District has recorded one of the highest voter turnouts in the country, a result one mayoral candidate says makes him "damned proud" of locals' commitment to democracy.

According to the preliminary count, 57.4 percent of Kaipara's eligible voters took part in the election, bucking the national trend.

That number will go up once special votes are added on Friday.

In the Wairoa ward, which centres around Dargaville, the turnout is higher still, at 60.4 percent.

It comes amid concerns about falling turnout in much of the country - the national average is just 38 percent, according to Local Government NZ - and mounting calls for change in the way council elections are run.

Kaipara also has one of the tightest mayoral races in the country.

In the preliminary results, current Deputy Mayor Jonathan Larsen is just five votes ahead of iwi leader Snow Tane, and 31 votes ahead of two-times former mayor Jason Smith.

Smith said Kaipara's turnout was a win, whatever the outcome of the election.

"What makes me so damned proud of the people of Kaipara is that they've got stuck in and voted," he said.

"People have been activated to vote either because they wanted something different or they wanted more of the same, but they've been activated to vote. This is all very good for democracy."

Smith said the close, three-horse race proved what he had been saying throughout the campaign - that every vote was important.

Larsen said strong, and contrasting, views among Kaipara residents had boosted the turnout.

"I think that the public are very engaged in politics at the moment and quite strongly positioned in terms of their political beliefs. So that's represented in the turnout we're seeing," he said.

Tane said the close result reflected what he had seen on the campaign trail.

"There have definitely been some voices among our constituents for change. And there were some voices out there for consistency, and you can see those two opinions in the voting."

Tane said many candidates were well known in their communities, which had also helped to lift the turnout.

Smith said those who made the extra effort to cast special votes deserved acknowledgement.

"They are really determined to exercise their democratic right. Those people have to go really out of their way. It's not just opening an envelope at the kitchen table and then putting it in the letter box. They have to ring or go to the council or the special voting booth. They have to take time and push and push. So those people are the real champions of democracy," he said.

Kaipara's turnout has been increasing steadily in recent years. It was 42.6 percent in 2019 and 47.6 percent in 2022.

In the Far North, where Mayor Moko Tepania was returned with a massive 4300-vote majority, turnout was 48.8 percent, up from 41.5 percent in 2022 and 47.5 percent in 2019.

In Whangārei, where councillor Ken Couper is narrowly ahead of incumbent Vince Cocurullo in the mayoral race, 44.2 percent had a say, compared to 43.3 percent in 2022 and 45.0 percent in 2019.

According to Local Government NZ, Chatham Islanders had the highest turnout in the country (68.34 percent), followed by Kaikōura(59.37), McKenzie (59.13), South Wairarapa (58.16) and Kaipara (57.37).

The lowest was in Auckland (28.74 percent).

This story was originally published by RNZ