Sara Templeton

Sara Louise Templeton (née Beswick, born 23 November 1971 She was educated at Burnside High School and Onslow College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Canterbury in 1995. She was a secondary school English and drama teacher before entering local politics, and also owned an eco-friendly baby wipes business.

Living in Heathcote Valley near the epicentre of the 2011 earthquake, Templeton was one of a number of local community leaders who helped with earthquake recovery, and she helped establish a community garden behind St Mary's Church. She was awarded a Civic Earthquake Award for services to the community presented by Mayor Bob Parker on 18 December 2012. Templeton co-edited a book with Sooze Harris, published in 2016, Heathcote: The Upside: Community Creativity, Innovation and Initiative in Response to the Christchurch Earthquakes. The book details the community-led projects in the Heathcote Valley in the first five years after the Christchurch earthquakes. She served as chair of the Heathcote Valley Community Association.

Political career Community board and councillor Templeton entered politics when she was elected to the Hagley-Ferrymead community board in 2013. An independent reference group was set up, which Templeton chaired, and this led to a new restoration plan being launched in September 2016.

In 2016 Templeton stood for election as a councillor in the Heathcote ward. She ran under the banner of 'Strong Communities for a Stronger Christchurch' and won the election by a margin of more than 1500 votes, unseating sitting councillor Paul Lonsdale.

Templeton was re-elected to council in 2019 and won a third term in 2022. In her second and third terms, Templeton was appointed a director of Christchurch City Holdings, a company which manages around $3 billion of council assets. She resigned as director in 2025, after five years.

Templeton is a former Green Party member and is known for her advocacy on climate change issues, including public and active transport. When the council's 2023 draft long-term plan removed all funding for cycleways, she said: "I expect to see an option presented that helps us meet our approved emissions reduction targets. Short-term thinking is a disservice to our communities facing the challenges of a climate-impacted future.” In 2022 Templeton was one of three councillors to vote against increasing the budget for the Te Kaha stadium. She objected on the basis that the additional cost would be born by ratepayers, either though rates increases or cuts to services.

On 11 October 2025 it was announced that Templeton had lost the mayoralty race with the incumbent Phil Mauger being re-elected in a landslide victory, beating Templeton by a margin of over 19,000 votes when progress results were announced. Final results were announced on 16 October 2025, showing a margin of 19,604 votes between the two candidates.

Online harassment In July 2021, during her second term as a city councillor, Templeton revealed to the media that she was the target of online harassment from two Facebook accounts with fake names. When the accounts were blocked from her page, they began a smear campaign against her by messaging and posting misinformation about her on other pages. They also attempted to get access to her personal Facebook page through the Official Information Act, and when they were denied, one of them complained to the Ombudsman. The same Facebook accounts were also responsible for targeting politicians Sarah Pallett and Megan Woods. Templeton complained to the District Court and investigations traced the IP address to a house owned by New Zealand National Party member Bryce Beattie. His housemate Jessee Mackenzie admitted to the harassment and both Beattie and Mackenzie resigned from the Young Nats, and Beattie withdrew as an independent candidate in the local elections.

In August 2023, Templeton said she had to increase her home security after online comments targeted her, after she laid a code of conduct complaint against fellow councillor Aaron Keown.

Personal life Templeton lives in the Heathcote Valley and travels to work by bus or bicycle. Templeton often wears a wooden necklace that represents the UN sustainable development goals that are most important to her, which are good health and wellbeing, gender equality, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, and peace, justice and strong institutions.

Templeton has three children. She co-parents with her husband, who she is separated from.

Electoral history Christchurch City Council 2025 Christchurch mayoral election