Invercargill mayoral hopefuls are coming out of the woodwork in what is shaping up to be a full field.
The city will welcome a new mayor in October, with Nobby Clark confirming he will be “fully into retirement” at the end of this term.
Councillor Ria Bond is the latest to throw her hat in the ring, telling Local Democracy Reporting she made the decision 18 months ago.
One of the main reasons for standing was seeing the public mistrust in council, which was noticeable during consultation periods.
“There’s various reasons, but it all comes back to the fact that people of Invercargill deserve better in their mayor. They deserve someone that can actually listen to them,” Bond said.
The councillor said she hoped to lead the Council into the future with better public relationships and private enterprise partnerships.
“The timing’s right.”
Part of Bond’s campaign was based on the return of a southern passenger train service — something she had been working on behind the scenes.
The service ran from Christchurch to Invercargill, via Dunedin, from 1970 to 2002.
Bond was holding a public meeting at the Invercargill railway station on 25 June to discuss that topic.
It is not the first time she has run for mayor, with a 2022 bid landing her 610 votes and a sixth-place finish.
The former NZ First MP said she was more focused this time around.
“I’ve had a term on council. I know where those pitfalls are. I know if you don’t have a strong leader or a leader that listens, that relationships can go sideways pretty fast in council.”
Current mayor Clark has previously ruled out standing again and confirmed on Monday that nothing had changed.
Clark’s current term has been marked by controversy.
In August 2024, he apologised for breaching the council’s code of conduct and portraying the city in “a very poor light”.
It followed an appearance on television show New Zealand Today, where he said the “n-word”.
The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds including disposable vape ban, Auckland Airport meth find, and why Europe hates tourists right now. (Source: 1News)
Clark also landed himself in hot water in March 2024 for his conduct at a United Fire Brigades’ Association event. He later apologised for his behaviour.
Other councillors who have stated their intention to run for mayor in the upcoming local elections include five-term councillor Ian Pottinger and deputy mayor Tom Campbell.
Earlier this month, three-term councillor Alex Crackett announced she was quitting her day job to focus on her mayoral campaign.
Invercargill City Council is made up of 12 councillors and one mayor.
In 2022, Clark finished almost 3000 votes clear of the nearest rival, Toni Biddle, with 7,357 votes.
The election is set for 11 October, with voting documents delivered from 9 September.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
