More than a week after shire residents went to the polls to elect the eighth member of the local council, the tallying of votes continues.
The race is still tight however, with only 157 votes separating the highest vote getter and the lowest.
Sharon Dennis is still ahead in the polls with 1353 votes - an additional 36 votes from the same time last week.
Representing 35.2 per cent of the votes, it includes 1250 at the polls, 14 enrolment/provisional and 89 postal votes.
Not far behind is Trevor Hibbert with 1295 combined - 25 more than last week.
This includes 1218 from local polling places, 64 by postal vote and 13 enrolment/provisional.
Myles Humphries, while still in third, has gained a groundswell of support in the past week of counting.
His combined total has increased by 86, to 1196.
This includes 1115 from the polls, 70 postal votes and 11 enrolment/provisional.
The distribution of preferences has not yet started.
The by-election was called after the council failed to get enough nominations to go to the polls for the scheduled local government elections in September.
All seven candidates were automatically elected after the election had concluded.
The council currently consists of returned Mayor Julia Cornwell McKean, deputy mayor Renee Paine, John Stringer, Katie Ngatokoa, Matthew Hannan, Renee Brooker and Catherine Healy.
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