Sir Tim Shadbolt is over the moon to have won the Invercargill mayoralty once again.
Saturday's re-election signals the beginning of his 9th term for Invercargill, after serving two terms for Waitemata City.
"(I am) absolutely delighted and so many major projects are underway at the moment in Invercargill and I think experience is what the voters were looking for," Shadbolt told Newshub on Saturday.
He says he was not surprised by the result.
"I think experience is what the voters were looking for," he said.
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"We've done a lot of polls right through the campaign, we've been polling 7,000 and there was consistent support for me. But it's still a relief!"
So to celebrate, Shadbolt will be "camped out" at Invercargill restaurant, Buster Crabb, owned by one of the councillors.
He says over his next term, he will focus on Southern Institute of Technology, as well as campaigning for rights for disabled workers at the city's recycling plant.
Shadbolt will also focus on electricity transmission costs.
"(We're) paying 30 to 40 million for the cost of shipping electricity to the North Island the Cook Strait cable we have to pay for that and we think that's unjust."
The 72-year-old was first elected in 1993. He was not reelected after his first term but in 1998 he won the role back, and has served ever since.
Newshub.
