Former Mangaia mayor Makitua Tutai is set to reclaim the top position after a historic mayoral by-election on the island yesterday that saw a record-breaking nine candidates contesting.

Tutai is leading with 86 votes after the preliminary count, followed closely by Metua Robert Vaiimene with 73, Tuaine Tuara with 61, Ngametua Tere with 53, Tuaine Papatua with 16, Vaiora Teremoana with 12, Tangi George Tuara with eight, and Rimamate Rimamate and Pua Arthur with two votes each.

Chief electoral officer Taggy Tangimetua said: “This is the Preliminary Result of the Mangaia Mayoral Election held today 27th May 2025. The confirmed and final result will be released later in the week and may or may not alter the current outcome.”

Tutai lost his mayoral seat to Ngateina Rani in the Island Government Elections held in August last year. Rani with 153 votes, narrowly beat Tutai, who received 147. Both improved on their preliminary counts, with Rani gaining 11 additional votes and Tutai nine.

Rani stepped down last month, just seven months after taking office, to pursue a new opportunity with the Northern Cook Islands Battery Replacement Project, triggering yesterday’s by-election.

A total of 332 eligible voters were registered for the by-election, a slight increase from the 321 recorded in last year’s Island Government election. Mangaia, with a population of 504, is the second-largest constituency in the Pa Enua (Outer Islands), after Aitutaki.

According to the Cook Islands Statistics Office, voter distribution across Mangaia’s villages was as follows: Karanga – 33, Ivirua – 44, Tavaenga – 78, Veitatei – 58, Keia – 67, and Tamarua – 52. These figures include the eight names on the supplementary rolls: two from Tavaenga, two from Veitatei, and four from Tamarua.

##	Candidates’ names as they appeared on the ballot paper	Votes
1	Pua Arthur	2
2	Tuaine Papatua	16
3	Rimamate Rimamate	2
4	Ngametua Tere	53
5	Vaiora Teremoana	12
6	Tangi George Tuara	8
7	Tuaine Tuara	61
8	Makitua Tutai	86
9	Metua Robert Vaiimene	73