Figures show Upper Clutha voters were in favour of change in last month’s local body elections, with 77 percent of votes cast not in favour of incumbent mayor Glyn Lewers, compared to 74 percent in the rest of the district.

Generally the district was consistent in its rejection of the incumbent mayor.

Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward voters punched above their weight, casting 43.4 percent of the mayoral votes despite only making up 39.3 percent of the Queenstown Lakes District roll.

New mayor John Glover achieved a 12.9 percentage point lead over Glyn in the Upper Clutha, compared to a 9.8 percentage point lead in Queenstown-Whakatipu and an 8.3 percentage point lead in Arrowtown-Kawarau.

How each ward in Queenstown Lakes turned out for the mayoral vote. IMAGE: Wānaka App

The Upper Clutha’s high turnout tipped the scale for John.

Wānaka-Upper Clutha Ward’s turnout was also higher - at 44.9 percent - compared to the other wards (Queenstown-Whakatipu 35.2 percent, and Arrowtown-Karawau 41.1 percent). 

The local turnout was consistent with the last local body elections in 2022, where 44.93 percent of the Upper Clutha electors voted - again, a higher turnout than in Queenstown-Wakatipu Ward (38.48 percent) but a little lower than the Arrowtown-Kawarau Ward (45.64 percent).

How we voted for each mayoral candidate. IMAGE: Wānaka App

In an effort to increase voting, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) introduced a new campaign, The Highest Vote, where voters were invited to “take part in democracy at new heights” with special high-altitude ballot boxes available at Cardrona Alpine Resort’s ticketing office (1,670m) and Treble Cone’s ticketing area (1,260m), hosted by RealNZ.

QLDC also hosted a one-day voting box at the Crown Range lookout on October 10.

The Wānaka App provided a dedicated election section to provide information to our readers on the candidates, their goals and values. The election section featured candidate profiles and candidates’ responses to a range of hot topics facing the district.

The next full QLDC council meeting will take place on Thursday November 27.

Read more: Deputy mayor role returns to Wānaka’s Quentin Smith