Jonathan Larsen has been the Deputy Mayor for the region. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Kaipara's new mayor has been announced with just 21 votes separating the two frontrunners.
Jonathan Larsen has won the race with 3138 votes, while Snow Tane received 3117 votes. In third place was Jason Smith, who had been the Kaipara mayor twice in the past, with 3081 votes.
Larsen was the current deputy mayor for the last council and had been endorsed by outgoing mayor and self-declared 'Trump of the North' Craig Jepson.
Tane, an iwi leader and businessman, had landed a spot as a newly elected first-term councillor for the Wairoa ward.
Jepson, chose not to run for the mayoralty again, but he was elected as a councillor for the Kaiwaka-Managawhai ward in one of three available seats.
Twenty-four hours before the final election results were due, Jepson called an emergency meeting about conduct during the local election.
Jepson oped to make a complaint about conduct related to the local body election and said he had seen a number of "irregularities" with the process.
A number of councillors criticised Jepson for calling an emergency council meeting, instead of making his own individual complaint.
However, councillors voted to lodge a complaint with the Department of Internal Affairs about what Jepson said were irregularities in the election process.
Speaking to RNZ after his win was announced, Larsen said it had been a "really interesting campaign".
"I just really want to thank all the people that have backed me through this campaign to keep taking Kaipara forward.
"It was a very, very close race, yeah. It could've gone any way, I suppose."
Larsen said he was looking forward to meeting the newly elected council.
"The first thing I'll be doing is getting hold of all of our new elected council who are all obviously really excited about working together to do that work."
Larsen noted the complaint about the conduct of the election had been sent to the Department of Internal Affairs and would proceed.
"Council sent a complaint to the Department of Internal Affairs today following its meeting, and so I guess that will follow its process through with whatever the department are going to do with that now."
Tane said he was disappointed not to win the mayoralty but he took heart from his significant majority in the west of the district, where he had been elected councillor.
Tane's 2443 votes in the Wairoa ward, which was centred around Dargaville, placed him 999 votes ahead of the next highest polling candidate.
"I am disappointed we missed out by a small margin, but we live in a democracy and democracy has spoken. And my ship now goes towards the Wairoa Ward, where I was voted in with a large majority."
Tane earlier told RNZ he would consider requesting a recount if the final margin was small, and expected other candidates would do the same.
He had yet to decide whether to seek a recount given his loss by 21 votes.
"I've got to talk to my campaign team. At this stage we are considering it, but we've got a couple of days over the weekend to make that decision."
Tane said he had given notice several months ago to Te Roroa Development Group, where he was the general manger, that he planned to retire in the new year.
That meant he would be able to dedicate more time to representing the Wairoa Ward, he said.
A swearing in ceremony and the inaugural council meeting would be held on Thursday, 30 October, at Matakohe War Memorial Hall.
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