| Election Date: | 8 October 2022 |
| Election Name: | 2022 Far North mayoral election |
| Type: | presidential |
| Previous Year: | 2019 |
| Next Year: | 2025 |
| Turnout: | 19,619 (41.53%) |
| Image1: | File:Moko Tepania official council portrait (cropped).jpg |
| Candidate1: | Moko Tepania |
| Candidate2: | Ann Court |
| Before Election: | John Carter |
| Before Party: | Independent |
| After Election: | Moko Tepania |
| After Party: | Independent |
| Mayor | |
| Party Name: | no |
| 1Blank: | Affiliation |
| 1Data1: | None |
| 1Data2: | None |
| 2Blank: | Vote count |
| 2Data1: | — |
| 2Data2: | — |
| 3Blank: | First |
| 4Data1: | 7805 |
| 4Data2: | 7362 |
| 3Data1: | ? |
| 3Data2: | ? |
| Colour1: | dcdcdc |
| Colour2: | dcdcdc |
The 2022 Far North mayoral election was held to elect the mayor of the Far North District, as part of the 2022 New Zealand local elections. The election took place from 16 September to 8 October and the winner will serve for the 2022–2025 term. Incumbent mayor John Carter did not seek re-election. First term district councillor Moko Tepania won the election, becoming the district's youngest and first Māori mayor.
The Far North District Council was formed as part of the 1989 New Zealand local government reforms, and since then there had been five mayors. The mayor of the district is directly elected by the eligible voting population of the district. This election would be the first to use the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method as opposed to the previously used first-past-the-post system.[1] The STV system allows voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference. The votes are counted and then the candidate with the lowest first place votes is eliminated and votes for them are transferred based on second preferences. This continues until one candidate has a majority.
Incumbent two-term mayor John Carter decided not to run for re-election. The at-the-time 72 year old retired from a long career in government at both the local and central level.[2]
According to the candidates, issues important to the election included local rates, Three Waters, changes to the Resource Management Act, the economy, council debt, housing, and road infrastructure.[3]
Ann Court was ahead when the provisional results were released but after special votes were counted Moko Tepania secured the win. Tepania would be the youngest and first Māori mayor in the Far North and following the election would chair a majority Māori council, a first for the district.[6] Kelly Stratford, also Māori, was appointed deputy mayor.[7] [8]
| Candidate | Votes by iteration | % | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | of 8th | of Turnout | of Eligible | |||
| None | Moko Tepania | 7805 | |||||||||||
| None | Ann Court | 7362 | |||||||||||
| None | John Vujcich | 4166 | |||||||||||
| SOVEREIGN.nz | Joshua Riley | 2927 | |||||||||||
| None | Jaqi Brown | 1865 | |||||||||||
| Independent | Kelly Stratford | 1616 | |||||||||||
| Independent | Kevin Middleton | 296 | |||||||||||
| None | Clinton Dearlove | 276 | |||||||||||
| Independent | Rachel Witana | 122 | |||||||||||
Eligible: 47,240 | Turnout: 19,619 | Valid: 19,344 | Blanks: 173 | Informals: 102|}References] | |||||||||||||