However, it will be a fresh-faced district council come October, with just five existing councillors, and one incumbent Wanaka-Upper Clutha Community Board member, seeking re-election.
The 11-member council will be led by a new mayor.
Contesting the mayoralty are Alastair Angus, of Glenorchy, who has stood for the top job in the past four elections; John Mitchell, a former Labour candidate for Southland, who has worked in economic and community development and disaster recovery, among other things; existing councillor and former Frankton Community Association chairman Glyn Lewers, who is a structural engineer; Wanaka builder Daniel Shand, who stood as an independent candidate for parliament in the Waitaki district in 2020; Arrowtown businesswoman Neeta Shetty, who worked for the council from 2014 until 2016, and is also standing for council in the Arrowtown-Kawarau ward; and Start Up Queenstown Lakes chief executive Olivia Wensley.
By noon yesterday, there were six candidates standing for the three seats in the new Arrowtown-Kawarau ward, nine in the four-seat Queenstown-Whakatipu ward and eight in the four-seat Wanaka-Upper Clutha ward.
Included in the latter was former long-serving councillor and deputy mayor Lyal Cocks, who stood against Jim Boult for the mayoralty in 2016 and, at that time, did not seek council re-election.
Mr Cocks is also seeking a seat in the four-seat Wanaka-Upper Clutha Community Board, of which he was also previously a member, along with six others.
