Sarah Thomson, second term Hamilton City Councillor and former lawyer, has announced her candidacy for mayor of Hamilton in the 2025 local body elections.

Thomson, who chairs the council’s Strategic Growth and District Plan Committee, says she is standing to secure a stronger future for Hamilton and ensure it remains a place where people love to live for generations to come.

”I’m proud to live in our beautiful city. As someone raising a young family here, I’m invested in Hamilton for the long haul.”

”This is an exciting and critical time for Hamilton,” says Thomson.

“We’re the fastest growing city in New Zealand and that brings both challenges and opportunities. We need a mayor who can hit the ground running and make real progress on issues like infrastructure for new homes.”

Thomson is running as an independent candidate and is known for her practical leadership style and ability to work across political divides.

”I’ve proven I can bring people together on important issues and get things done. As mayor, I’ll lead a council that puts our community first — not politics”.

Thomson says one of her top priorities is ensuring the city’s finances are sustainable while continuing to invest in the city’s future.

”My focus for the city’s finances will be real, long-term savings rather than cutting services that are important to people.”

“It’s time to be more ambitious about pursuing shared services with other councils to save costs and deliver better services for residents. Whether it’s water, IT, payroll, or processing building consents, there’s opportunity for councils to work together.”

Other key focus areas for Thomson are supporting a strong local economy, ensuring a clean and well-maintained city, and investing in greenspaces for the future.

“We need to support a strong local economy by making sure the city does its core business well. This means sorting out water pipes for new homes and ensuring enough land for businesses to grow, move here and create jobs.”

“I want a city that’s clean and attractive where we do a great job looking after what we have. And as the city grows, we must continue to look after and invest in what people love about living here—like our parks, playgrounds, river paths and gullies.”

“This is an exciting time for Hamilton. I’m putting my name forward because I bring the experience, energy and pragmatic leadership needed to make real progress and take the city forward.”

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