Rotorua mayoral race 2025

The story so far

Incumbent mayor Tania Tapsell, Don Paterson and Robert Lee took part in a business chamber forum in Rotorua ahead of the October local elections.^{29 Aug 2025} During that forum, Tapsell received 72% audience support in a live online vote.^{29 Aug 2025} By late September, Paterson was one of five candidates for the mayoralty and urged the city to think outside the box to drive development and revenue.^{25 Sep 2025} Rotorua Lakes Council has since identified ten electoral breaches during the campaign.^{8 Oct 2025} One complaint concerned a mayoral candidate's campaign video, which was removed from YouTube after allegations of copyright and electoral rule violations.^{8 Oct 2025}

Latest

On October 7, the council reported ten electoral breaches so far in the campaign, including the removed campaign video.^{8 Oct 2025}

What's next

The mayoral election is on October 11.^{25 Sep 2025}

Key moments

1. 29 Aug 2025Tapsell wins 72% audience support in live online vote at business forum.
2. 25 Sep 2025Paterson calls for innovation as one of five mayoral candidates.
3. 8 Oct 2025Council identifies ten electoral breaches, including a removed campaign video.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.