Election results [UPDATED]

News agencies reporting that Len Brown will win the mayoralty of a unified Auckland - at 95% counted he is about 60,000 ahead of John Banks. The final result is expected some time just after 2pm. Brown has said his celebration party will be at One Tree Hill and everyone is invited.

I will update on all the Auckland ward contests when they are available.
- NZ Herald.

And please let today be the last time the lame "Super City" moniker is used in connection with the new Auckland City.

UPDATE | 1:40PM: In Chch Bob the re-builder has won comfortably 68,000 v. 51,000 to crusty old flip-flopping Jim Anderton. Anderton certainly deserved to lose - but both main contenders are basically conservative.

UPDATE | 2:10PM The work of shmoozing and photo ops and begging central government begins tomorrow for Mayor Brown when he meets the PM at Eden Park:1.58: Penny Webster will represent Rodney in the new Auckland Council.

Cameron Brewer (formerly of the Newmarket Business Association) has won Orakei ward.

Mike Lee has been elected in the Waitemata and Gulf ward.

Webster is a former Act MP who turned against Rodney Hide's forced amalgamation of her District - Rodney - where she is Mayor. Mike Lee is former ARC chairman and a staunch lefty who has won the central city and islands ward - in some part because the right was split. Cameron Brewer has won over the crusty C&R man for Orakei ward. He worked hard for it and is an example of how to win against the odds by force of personality, determination and pure media sluttiness. Not bad for a guy who lives in Pt Chev - on the other side of town. And speaking of carpet-baggers...Yes, Raffills lives in Mangere Bridge on the other side of the Manukau harbour from the Whau ward, but if no-one was going to mention it - and she obviously wasn't going to - the voters were never going to know. Kirwan's reaction is rather bitter though. Like the relatively young Cameron Brewer he was door-knocking and out on the streets and in the traffic day after day with his placards - he had his hoardings up early and burned shoe leather, but unlike Brewer he had no existing profile and was invisible in the local media. This will be a hard lesson for a lot of losing candidates - incumbency, a party ticket and a personal fortune are huge advantages in local campaigns. I bet Raffills did not knock on a single door in the ward. In that ward the lefties didn't even stand a candidate, so no surprises she has cruised in.

UPDATE | 2:30PM Progress results for the Auckland wards:NZ Herald reporting:

2.21: The 20 people elected to the Auckland Council have been confirmed. They are Michael Goudie, Wayne Walker, George Wood, Ann Hartley, Penny Hulse, Sandra Coney, Mike Lee, Noelene Raffills, Cathy Casey, Christine Fletcher, Cameron Brewer, Richard Northey, Jami-Lee Ross, Sharon Stewart, Penny Webster, Calum Penrose, John Walker, Des Morrison, Arthur Anae, Alf Filipaina.

Well there are few results that I struggle to fathom: The Shore have voted Ann Hartley back again - she was a Labour MP at one stage I think and was Mayor of North Shore City after its creation and was unloved. Also dispatched by the legendarily angry and perpetually disappointed North Shore electorate, but resurrected to Council, is ex-Mayor and ex-cop George Woods. I also can't believe Eden-Albert have voted in Christine Fletcher either. Fletcher is a ghastly flake and I was forced to vote for her once to try to keep John Banks out and that made me sick. It makes me sick that she wormed her way into C&R and supports Banks and it is sickening that the ward has voted her onto the council. I'm sure she'd have some competition from Noelene Raffills for most pointless Councillor. I see long-time Nat (and even longer-time MP wannabe - eventually successful on the list at one point) Arthur Anae has made it in.

I would watch the two young guys - Brewer and Ross. Being of similar situations these Councillors may naturally align together and could form a bloc of sorts.

The gimmes: There was no doubt that ex-Labour MP and old-time lefty Richard Northey would win the rock solid and well organised East of the isthmus for Labour. He will join the equally staunchly left wing Cathy Casey (Matt McCarten's missus?) as a remnant of Auckland City's City Vision ticket that along with Sandra Coney and Mike Lee will form the backbone of the left who may be running the new Council. The ones that have thrown me are the Albany ward winners - I've got no idea who they are or what they are about.

As I can make out the Council has a bloc of 6 or 7 each on the left and right, plus some others who may back one or other group:

Left:
Lee
Casey
Coney
Hartley
Northey
Filipaina (serving policeman)

Right:
Ross
Brewer
Fletcher
Anae [ran as independent and is not anti-Brown]
Wood
Raffills
Morrison

To break right?
Sharon Stewart - QSM wank, wank, wank.
Michael Goudie - his candidates profile is totally lacking in any policy or substance - who knows where he stands. He is a similar age to Brewer and Ross; maybe he will align with them?
John Walker - he's always seemed a bit right to me, but he doesn't seem to be in conflict with Brown.

To break left?
Wayne Walker - from Whangaparaoa, he has a few policies and may align left from what I've read - but it is hard to judge on the blurbs alone.
Calum Penrose - is anti-Hide [may be right though - I don't know.]
Penny Hulse - Deputy Mayor Waitakere City.
Penny Webster - is ex-Act (but anti-Hide)

More results.