New Plymouth’s new council was sworn in this afternoon at the Civic Centre, after which Mayor Max Brough announced three co-deputy mayors; Murray Chong, Gordon Brown and Moira George.
First elected in 2013, Murray Chong returns this term with a commanding mandate. He received 9,566 votes as an at-large councillor – more than double the next highest candidate, David Bublitz with 4,743 votes. Chong’s 2025 candidate statement emphasised fiscal restraint and a focus on “needs before niceties.”
Gordon Brown topped the Kaitāke-Ngāmotu Ward with 2,832 votes, the highest first-preference total in that ward. He previously served from 2004 to 2007 before returning in 2013, giving him deep procedural and policy experience around the table. His 2025 profile highlighted a push for tighter spending and opposition to further separated cycleways.
Moira George enters NPDC as a first-term councillor in the Kaitāke-Ngāmotu ward, but is not new to local government. Under her previous name, Moira Irving, she served four terms on the Taranaki Regional Council and also held governance roles in the health sector. Her New Plymouth District Council candidate profile cited that experience as the basis for her platform.
NPDC will confirm committee chairs and detailed delegations when it adopts its governance structure and terms of reference at a forthcoming meeting; the inaugural agenda records that officers will bring the proposed committee terms for the 2025–28 triennium to a later session. Two further full Council dates are scheduled for the remainder of this year on Thursday 20 November at 10am and Thursday 18 December at 10am.
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