Fomer councillor Paniora guilty of assault

Former Kaipara Maori ward councillor and barrister, Pera Paniora, has pleaded guilty to two charges of assault. She will be sentenced on the 28^th of November.

The assaults took place in a Whangarei shop on the 15^th of September, but suppression orders prevented her from being named during the election campaign.  An application for permanent name suppression has been denied.

Her lawyer is seeking a discharge without conviction. If this is not granted, she could be sentenced to up to six months in jail and/or a maximum fine of $4,000.

Paniora failed to retain a seat on the Council, polling fifth in the Wairoa ward (3 elected). 

She previously worked for WRMK Lawyers in Whangarei, but more recently says she has been developing Te Runanga o Ngati Whatua's Te Taiao department.

Photo credit: Stuff

WDC Mayor accepts referendum result, but...

 

In a statement made to the Bream Bay News (23 October 2025), Mayor Ken Couper said, “He would be respecting the result of the referendum where the majority of voters in the Whangarei District said they wanted the Council to discontinue its Maori ward, but he would be looking for other ways to strengthen the relationship with these groups.”

Having voted both for the Maori ward and against giving the public a say, we appreciate Ken Couper would be disappointed that voters have rejected his position. However, it is completely unacceptable that he now intends to disregard the clear public will and pursue 'other ways' to ensure Maori influence at the council table. We would not be surprised if he intends to appoint unelected iwi representatives with full voting rights to council committees.

Mayor Larsen's vision for Kaipara

In an address that bore the hallmarks of a Parliamentary Speech from the Throne, the newly elected Mayor Larsen outlined the groundwork laid over the previous three years and presented a vision for the future. 

He promised a line-by-line review of council expenses, more enabling planning rules, and greater focus on building more resilient infrastructure. Larsen clearly knows the key issues and understands the concerns of the communities within the district. Kaipara is now well-positioned to be an outstanding performer over the next decade. 

A link to the speech is here >>>

And the results are in...

Whangarei District Council

Whangarei has a new mayor and six new faces around the council table. In a close race for the mayoralty, two-term councillor Ken Couper beat the incumbent Vince Cocurullo by 435 votes.

In the Urban Ward, Marie Olsen topped the voting and is joined by newcomer Brad Flower, re-elected councillors Nic Connop and Paul Yovich, and Crichton Christie, who is returning as a councillor after a six-year absence. Carol Peters lost her seat, as did Jayne Golightly.