She should have done much better – we calculate – by spending more on campaigning and by taking advantage of Policy.nz’s efforts to broadcast policies to voters. See above to learn what it can tell us about the candidate in question, Jess Te Huia.
Jess Te Huia
Independent
Why I’m standing
No response
About me
No response
My priorities
No response
– information from Policy.nz
For good measure, Porirua ratepayers would have been spared the thousands of dollars of costs the city council incurred because she challenged the election result.
Our thinking was prompted by a Post report headlined Failed Porirua candidate made to pay for recount but ratepayers still stung with bill
A failed Porirua City Council candidate has been unsuccessful in her attempt to make ratepayers cover the cost of a vote recount — though the council is still $10,000 out of pocket.
In October, Kylie Wihapi finished 11 votes ahead of Jess Te Huia in the Māori ward race. Te Huia secured a recount, alleging unallocated and missing votes, but ultimately remained nine votes short in the final tally.
Just nine votes short, eh!
But she spent much less on her campaign than did the winning candidate.
What’s more, she did not benefit from the publicity which the Policy.nz website might have provided.
Policy.nz is promoted as the complete guide to the NZ local elections 2025, made with support from Local Government New Zealand and 19 councils from around the country.
We make it easy to find out who’s running in your local elections and what they stand for.
And:
Not knowing who to vote for is a key factor, according to research by the Electoral Commission. It’s hard for voters to find out what candidates believe in and what they’ll do if they are elected. Policy.nz helps voters find this essential information. We’re strictly neutral, focused only on providing voters with the information they need to exercise their democratic right.
The Policy.nz team says it sent questionnaires to every candidate whose email address it could find.
We asked candidates for up to three policies on key topics. These topics broadly relate to the areas of responsibility for the relevant local authority. Candidates were free to speak to the specific issues in their community.
The website did receive – and publish – this information from Kylie Wihapi:
Kylie Wihapi
Parirua Māori ward councillor
Why I’m standing
It’s been a privilege to serve as your first directly elected Māori ward councillor, and deputy mayor in a council that values a strong Treaty partnership. But we can’t take anything for granted. Porirua must remain a beacon of inclusivity. As we navigate major challenges – our harbour, transport, and tight budgets – we need to work together and focus on real solutions, including growing local jobs.
Our thinking was prompted by a Post report headlined Failed Porirua candidate made to pay for recount but ratepayers still stung with bill
A failed Porirua City Council candidate has been unsuccessful in her attempt to make ratepayers cover the cost of a vote recount — though the council is still $10,000 out of pocket.
In October, Kylie Wihapi finished 11 votes ahead of Jess Te Huia in the Māori ward race. Te Huia secured a recount, alleging unallocated and missing votes, but ultimately remained nine votes short in the final tally.
Just nine votes short, eh!
But she spent much less on her campaign than did the winning candidate.
What’s more, she did not benefit from the publicity which the Policy.nz website might have provided.
Policy.nz is promoted as the complete guide to the NZ local elections 2025, made with support from Local Government New Zealand and 19 councils from around the country.
We make it easy to find out who’s running in your local elections and what they stand for.
And:
Not knowing who to vote for is a key factor, according to research by the Electoral Commission. It’s hard for voters to find out what candidates believe in and what they’ll do if they are elected. Policy.nz helps voters find this essential information. We’re strictly neutral, focused only on providing voters with the information they need to exercise their democratic right.
The Policy.nz team says it sent questionnaires to every candidate whose email address it could find.
We asked candidates for up to three policies on key topics. These topics broadly relate to the areas of responsibility for the relevant local authority. Candidates were free to speak to the specific issues in their community.
The website did receive – and publish – this information from Kylie Wihapi:
Kylie Wihapi
Parirua Māori ward councillor
Why I’m standing
It’s been a privilege to serve as your first directly elected Māori ward councillor, and deputy mayor in a council that values a strong Treaty partnership. But we can’t take anything for granted. Porirua must remain a beacon of inclusivity. As we navigate major challenges – our harbour, transport, and tight budgets – we need to work together and focus on real solutions, including growing local jobs.
About me
I’ll continue to stand up for all Māori communities and support the rightful recognition of Ngāti Toa Rangatira as mana whenua.
But let’s get back to The Post report and the matter of who pays when a losing candidate contests an election result.
It says:
But Court documents show Te Huia tried to avoid paying her $6426 share of the recount costs, arguing that electoral officer Warwick Lampp should be liable instead. The council was ultimately named as the respondent because it had hired Lampp.
Te Huia claimed Lampp had opposed the recount and ultimately lost, as the second count found a two-vote error – thought It was not enough to alter the final result.
But a judge ruled Lampp acted properly, leaving Te Huia to pick up the tab.
“Ms Te Huia sought the recount for predominantly personal reasons, because she thought on a recount she might [be] elected, and I consider that she, rather than the electoral officer or the ratepayers, ought to bear her own costs up to that point,” the court judgment says.
Before the recount, it seems, Lampp had warned it was necessary to find at least 12 errors to change the result, noting “it is very rare to find more than one error”.
Porirua ratepayers have cause to be miffed.
Council figures show legal advice amounted to $24,036. On top of that, the recount cost ratepayers $11,046.
Mayor Anita Baker said council insurance would cover some of the cost but there was still a $10,000 excess that would fall to ratepayers.
But there were other consequences. The recount process put the council into a state of limbo because Baker and new councillors were not able to be sworn in or hold meetings for a number of weeks as the recount was carried out.
This resulted in Baker and the council chief executive writing to Local Government Minister Simon Bridges asking for a law change.
“The public simply can’t understand why the council is unable to carry out normal business,” they said.
As The Post points out, the delay in swearing in had left the council without elected leadership from the election in mid-October to eventual swearing late in November.
PoO reckons the city may well have been spared the costs of a challenge and the new council could have got down to business much sooner if Te Huia had tried harder to win votes in the Māori ward in which she campaigned.
Her Facebook page carries campaign information under the heading Jess Te Huia – Māori-Driven Policy Statement
As a proud Porirua local and long-time community advocate, my vision is for a city where Māori values lead decision-making and every whānau has the opportunity to thrive.
Guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, manaakitanga (care), kotahitanga (unity), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) — these living values guide how we govern, protect our taiao, and uplift our whānau.
1. Mana Māori Motuhake – Strengthening Māori Representation
* Advocate for genuine Māori decision-making power within Council.
* Uphold Te Tiriti through true partnership and co-design with mana whenua.
* Resource the Māori Ward and cultural partnerships so Māori voices influence policy, not just advise.
* Ensure consultation includes hapū, marae, urban Māori, and whānau across Porirua.
“Maori-Driven” tells us she was making the right pitch to appeal to voters who want the Maorification of the city council.
Whether she made it loudly enough is the point at issue.
She also aired her ideas on Affordability, Accountability & Transparency, which included:
- Advocate for fair, affordable rates and responsible budgeting focused on essentials.
But PoO suggests spending money to win votes might be smarter than spending on a recount.
Kylie Wihapi spent $6084.54 on her campaign and attracted 934 votes.
This means each vote cost her $6.51.
Jess Te Huia was much more sparing with her campaign expenses. She declared spending of $2849.28, which works out at about $3 per vote.
But wait. When we chip in the court costs she must pay, it turns out each vote cost her around $10.
We can only guess at what might have happened if the money Te Huia spent on litigation had been pumped into campaign publicity.
Bob Edlin is a veteran journalist and editor for the Point of Order blog HERE. - where this article was sourced.
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