It is understood this will be the first time he has run for both jobs since the end of the 1990s.
Sir Tim is New Zealand’s longest-serving mayor, serving 23 consecutive years — he was a two-term mayor of Waitemata City (1983-89) then elected mayor of Invercargill from 1993 and is now in his ninth term.
Sir Tim was unable to be reached yesterday for comment.
He is among the nine candidates vying for the Invercargill mayoralty and 27 candidates vying for a seat on the council. There are 14 council seats.
By yesterday evening, Sir Tim, Crs Marcus Lush and Darren Ludlow, deputy mayor Nobby Clark, former New Zealand First list MP Ria Bond, former deputy mayor Toni Biddle, Steve Chernishov, TikTok influencer Tom Morton and Bluff Community Board member Noel Peterson were part of the Invercargill mayoralty race.
Last year Sir Tim said to a Local Democracy reporter his path to victory would be made easier if it was a crowded race. He has got his wish.
"From my point of view, the more people that run, the merrier," he said last year.
In 2019, four people ran for mayor with Cr Ludlow also running, along with Mr Chernishov and Rebecca Amundsen. Mrs Amundsen, a current Invercargill city councillor, had intended to stand for the mayoralty this year but withdrew this week.
Sir Tim won the 2019 election by more than 3200 votes, from Mr Ludlow.
Nominations for this year’s local body elections close at noon today.
