Northpower election results

 

And the winners are:

Whangarei District Council area (5 vacancies)

1. Phil Heatley: 9915

2. Irene Durham: 8688

3. Tim Wilson: 7238

4. Paul Yovich: 7058

5. Sheryl Mai: 6612

Northpower election

 

The tri-annual Northpower Trust Board election is typically a yawn, but this election has raised an important issue about how the Trust’s income is to be distributed.

For many years, the trust has paid a dividend to consumers in the form of a credit on their power bill. We understand some candidates want to change that and instead distribute the funds to what they consider to be worthy community causes.

The candidate statements in the Election Handbook don’t shed any light on this issue, but there are some very familiar faces on the ballot paper with a track record of reckless spending. Voters should look beyond the air-brushed smiling faces and think about the damage that can be done by those wanting to get their sticky fingers on other people's money to advance their pet social causes.

Voting can be done by post or online and closes at 12 noon, Saturday, 29 November.