An emotional Mike Pettit took a tearful moment to gather his thoughts before announcing his win to supporters yesterday.
Celebrating with the family, from left, Anamieke Pettit, Phoebe Pettit, Natalia Pettit, Macie Pettit, Amy Pettit, Hugo Pettit, Mike and Nic Pettit with baby Rumi Pettit, their first grandchild. Photo: Viv Posselt
Standing high on a box, his back to the open doors of the Gillies St venue he used to host his election party, Pettit wiped his eyes, fist-pumped the air and expressed his deep gratitude to “all you amazing people I have met on this journey”.
“Yeah … wow, sh .. !” he exclaimed. “It seems I have a new job!”
“I want to give a huge thanks to all those folks who have got behind me from the get-go … everyone who has helped get me to this point.”
The call had come from Waipā chief executive Steph O’Sullivan just minutes earlier but an overwhelmed Pettit took a few moments for himself to let the news sink in.
“It’s all the little bits that have pushed me over the line, and I’m very grateful.”
He spoke of being jolted into action to stand for the top slot after being asked some time ago why he hadn’t already put his hand up for the mayoralty.
Speaking to The News a few minutes after addressing his supporters, Pettit praised the other two mayoral candidates, Susan O’Regan and Clare St Pierre, for having run good campaigns.
He said once he had made his mind up to stand, there were no moments of doubt around what he was doing and why.
Mike Pettit flanked by former Waipa mayor Jim Mylcheest and Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale. Photo: Viv Posselt
“When you commit to something, you commit, but I wasn’t really focusing on this end point, to be honest. I was just focused on getting the messaging out there and getting the job done.
“But yeah, I guess there were a few nerves around today,” he grinned. “You could say there was a long, very pregnant pause when I was first told.”
He admits that leaving the school environment after being a principal for 31 years will be something of a sea-change, but knows Cambridge Primary School is in good hands with wife Nic Pettit currently vice-principal.
Working with a new council team is something he is looking forward to.
“Even with a few changes it is going to be a new team, and I’m ready for that. What won’t be changing is that I can’t sit still for long … I’ll be out and about talking to people whenever I can.”
See: Local elections – preliminary results
Meanwhile Susan O’Regan has an impossible task with just under 1000 votes to make up in the mayoral race against Mike Pettit following provisional results released late yesterday.
Election Day 2025 – Susan O’Regan and husband John Hayward. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Pettit is all but mayor with 5238 votes, O’Regan has 4291 and Clare St Pierre – now looking a favourite to be deputy mayor – with 2787.
The big surprise came in Pirongia and Kakepuku ward where Better Waipa’s Les Bennett joins St Pierre on the council while veteran Lou Brown is ousted from council in favour of Shane Walsh, Dean Taylor and long-serving Marcus Gower.
Dale-Maree Morgan has been elected as the last Waipa Maori ward representative following voters’ rejection of the Maori ward from 2028 onwards – 6854 wanting it gone vs 4888 who wanted it to stay. She and her husband Steve Hutt have also been elected onto the Ngāruawāhia Community Board.
In Cambridge, top polling candidate was former Community Board chair Jo Davies-Colley following by Roger Gordon and Pip Kempthorne. It is a close run thing between Hope Spooner and Aidhean Camson in that order for the fourth spot.
Clare St Pierre relaxes at home after her reelection as a councillor. Photo: Jesse Wood
The community boards will have a mix of old and new faces. In Te Awamutu Ange Holt, Jill Taylor and John Wood have returned and will be joined by the second highest polling candidate Liam Bullen. Kane Titchener was elected unopposed from Kakepuku.
Cambridge welcomes back Andrew Myers as the Maungatautari community board representative and he looks favourite for the chair’s spot with the new faces of Charlotte FitzPatrick Gerda Venter, Chris Minnee and Stewart Dromgool around the table.
The Waipa-King Country representatives on Waikato Regional Council are Cambridge farmers Garry Reymer and Stu Kneebone with the long-serving Liz Stolwyk now out of local politics for the first time in 12 years.
Aksel Bech – 2025
Aksel Bech swept home in the Waikato district mayoralty race defeating incumbent Jacqui Church while Mike Keir and Crystal Beavis have returned as Tamahere-Woodlands ward representatives.
Rodney Dow is the new mayor in Otorohanga while John Robertson returns in Waitomo.
Roger Gordon, left, with new mayor Mike Pettit. Photo: Viv Posselt
