Sam Broughton to stand again for Selwyn mayoralty, hopes to become district’s longest term mayor

Friday, 31 January 2025

Sam Broughton has put his hand up to be Selwyn’s mayor, hoping to sit at the head of the council for a fourth consecutive term.

Broughton has won the fight for mayoralty for three terms since 2016, when he replaced former mayor Kelvin Coe.

If he wins in October, he will be the longest serving mayor in Selwyn’s history.

In the past nine years he has overseen the development of the council’s bi-cultural strategy, economic strategy, welcomed iwi representation at the council table and lobbied the government front up more funding for councils.

Rates were a key issue he would focus on in the coming term if re-elected, he has said.

By 2027 rates across the district were forecast to rise by 48%. It was a reflection of the district trying to keep up and get ahead of the explosion of growth over the past decade.

Costs to build bridges, sewage systems, road and water supply system had increased between 27% and 38% over the past three years, which had put pressure on councils, according to Local Government New Zealand, of which Broughton is president.

Broughton said the investment should not fall only on the shoulders of rate payers, and the government, which had chosen to fast-track projects that would see more than 4700 homes built around Rolleston in the coming years, needed to fork out the funding to support the district’s need for more infrastructure.

He had previously suggested a toll-road be put in place on State Highway 1 to help boost investment of the district’s roads after Selwyn missed out on about $27m in funding for projects.

Last election, Broughton went against Calvin Payne and Bill Woods. Broughton won by a landslide gaining 75.1% of the votes.

Other key issues for the district were roading and water infrastructure.

In Christchurch, Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger wants to keep his job for another three years and says he will look at every avenue to save money and keep rates affordable. Sitting councillor Sara Templeton will challenge Mauger for the top job.

In Waimakariri, two-term mayor Dan Gordon is yet to state his intentions for the upcoming election.

“I will be announcing my decision in the coming weeks. That said, I love my job and feel incredibly privileged to represent the wonderful Waimakariri community,” he told The Press when approached earlier this month.