On 13 October of that year, elections were held for the Mayor of Christchurch plus other local government roles. Despite predictions for a close race, incumbent Moore successfully contested a second term in office with a decisive majority.[1] The second-placed candidate, Balani, was 17,000 votes (15%) behind Moore.[2] Two former Christchurch City Councillors, Gordon Freeman and Robin Booth, came third and fourth.[1]
Moore's main challenger, Balani, had a high profile as a talk back radio and television host; for many years, Balani had a show on Canterbury Television (CTV). A total of 14 candidates contested the 2001 mayoralty in Christchurch.[3] Freeman was a city councillor for 15 years until he stood for mayor only in the 1998 mayoralty. Booth went into the election as a sitting member of Christchurch City Council.[4]
Moore, Balani and Freeman stood for mayor only. Robin Booth also stood for city councillor in the two-representative Shirley Ward, but came third and was thus defeated.[5] Aaron Keown, who came fifth in the election, was later a Christchurch City Councillor from 2010 for one three-year term.[6][7] Moore remained mayor until the 2007 election, when he decided not to stand again.[8]