Mayor of Christchurch

Last updated

Mayor of Christchurch
Christchurch coat of arms shield.svg
Shield of the Christchurch coat of arms
Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Phil Mauger
since 8 October 2022
Style His Worship
Seat Christchurch Civic Offices
Term length Three years
Inaugural holder William Wilson
Formation1868
DeputyPauline Cotter
Website Official Website

The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Phil Mauger, was elected in the 2022 mayoral election. The current deputy mayor is Pauline Cotter.

Contents

Christchurch was initially governed by the chairman of the town council. In 1868, the chairman became the city council's first mayor as determined by his fellow city councillors. Since 1875, the mayor is elected by eligible voters and, after an uncontested election, the first election was held in the following year.

History

Chairmen of the Town Council

Christchurch became a city by Royal charter on 31 July 1856; the first in New Zealand. Since 1862, chairmen were in charge of local government. Five chairmen presided in the initial years: [1]

NamePortraitTerm
1 John Hall John Hall.jpg 1862–1863
2 John Ollivier John Ollivier.jpg 1863–1864
3 Isaac Luck Isaac Luck.jpg 1865
4 Edward Bishop Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg 1866
5 William Wilson William Barbour Wilson.jpg 1867

Mayors of the City Council

The town council held a meeting on 10 June 1868 to elect its first mayor. In those days, councillors were elected for three-year terms, and once a year elected one of their group as mayor, i.e. the position was not elected at large (by the voting public) as is the case today. [2]

The following councillors attended the 10 June meeting: William Wilson, James Purvis Jameson, T. Tombs, George Ruddenklau, Henry Thomson, W. A. Sheppard, William Calvert [3] and John Anderson, who chaired the meeting. Thomson moved that Wilson be elected as the first mayor of Christchurch, and Tombs seconded the motion. The chairman put the motion to the meeting and it was carried unanimously. With the meeting, the council had brought itself under the Municipal Corporations Act 1867. [2] [4]

Hence, the last chairman (William Wilson) became the first mayor in 1868. The first chairman (John Hall) became mayor 44 years later in 1906. There have been 46 holders of the position. The longest-serving was Sir Hamish Hay, who held the post for 15 years (5 terms). The shortest mayoralty was by Tommy Taylor in 1911, who died three months after being elected. [5] Wilson's term, at just over six months, was the second shortest. Vicki Buck and Lianne Dalziel, have been the only female mayors so far.

Initially, councillors elected one of their own as mayor towards the end of the year, and the role was usually awarded to the most senior councillor. Most elections were unanimous, and the newly elected mayor was instantly regarded as the head of the council. The system changed with the introduction of The Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act, 1875, as that legislation stipulated that mayors had to be elected at large (i.e. by eligible voters). [6] [7] Fred Hobbs, the incumbent, was the only candidate nominated, so he was declared elected unopposed on 17 December 1875. [8] James Gapes was the first mayor elected at large on 20 December 1876. [9] [10] [11] The newly elected person was from that point the mayor-elect, until he was sworn in; Gapes was sworn in on 2 January 1877. [12] Despite this, Taylor's death in 1911 resulted in councillors electing their fellow councillor John Joseph Dougall as mayor as required by the legislation for such cases. [13]

Mayors were initially appointed and then elected for one year; elections started following the Municipal Corporations Act of 1876. [14] This was changed to biennial elections "on the last Wednesday in April" with the Municipal Corporations Amendment Act, 1913. The act came into force in March 1915 and thus first applied at the April 1915 mayoral election. [15] The Municipal Corporations Act, 1933 changed the mayoral term to three years, and this commenced with the 1935 mayoral election. [16]

Five mayors have held non-consecutive terms:

Recent mayors

Four former mayors are alive:

List of mayors

NamePortraitTerm
1 William Wilson William Barbour Wilson.jpg 1868 [4]
2 John Anderson John Anderson (mayor).jpg 1868–1869 [17]
3 Andrew Duncan Andrew Duncan (mayor).jpg 1869–1870 [18]
4 James Jameson James Jameson portrait.jpg 1870–1871 [19]
5 Henry Sawtell Henry Sawtell portrait.jpg 1871–1872
6 Edward Bishop Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg 1872–1873
7 Michael Hart Michael Brannan Hart portrait.jpg 1873–1874
8 Fred Hobbs Fred Hobbs portrait.jpg 1875–1876
9 James Gapes James Gapes portrait.jpg 1876–1877
10 Henry Thomson Henry Thomson portrait.jpg 1877–1878
11 Charles Thomas Ick Charles Thomas Ick portrait.jpg 1878–1880
(9)James Gapes James Gapes portrait.jpg 1880–1881
12 George Ruddenklau John George Ruddenklau.jpg 1881–1883
13 Charles Hulbert Charles Hulbert (Hay).jpg 1883–1885
14 Aaron Ayers Aaron Ayers portrait.jpg 1885–1887 [20]
15 Charles Louisson Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg 1887–1889 [21]
16 Samuel Manning S Manning.jpg 1889–1890
17 Charles Gray Charles Mathew Gray.jpg 1890–1891
18 William Prudhoe William Prudhoe.jpg 1891–1892
19 Eden George Eden George 01.jpg 1892–1893
20 Thomas Gapes Thomas Gapes portrait.jpg 1893–1894
21 Walter Cooper Walter Henry Cooper.jpg 1894–1895
22 Harry Beswick Beswick obit.gif 1895–1896
(21)Walter Cooper Walter Henry Cooper.jpg 1896–1897 [22]
(15)Charles Louisson Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg 1897–1899 [23]
23 William Reece William Reece cropped.jpg 1899–1901
24 Arthur Rhodes Arthur Rhodes portrait.jpg 1901–1902
25 Henry Wigram Sir Henry Wigram.jpg 1902–1904
(17)Charles Gray Charles Mathew Gray.jpg 1904–1905
26 John Hall John Hall.jpg 1906–1907
27 George Payling George Payling (cropped).jpg 1907–1908
28 Charles Allison Charles Allison.jpg 1908–1911
29 Tommy Taylor Thomas Edward Taylor crop, 1910.jpg 1911†
30 John Joseph Dougall John Joseph Dougall (Hay).jpg 1911–1912
31 Henry Holland Henry Holland, ca 1929.jpg 1912–1919
32 Henry Thacker Henry Thacker, 1918.jpg 1919–1923
33 James Flesher James Arthur Flesher, ca 1920.jpg 1923–1925
34 Rev John Archer John Archer, 1935.jpg 1925–1931
35 Dan Sullivan Daniel Giles Sullivan (1935).jpg 1931–1936
36 John Beanland John Beanland, 1938.jpg 1936–1938
37 Robert Macfarlane Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg 1938–1941
38 Ernest Andrews Ernest Andrews.jpg 1941–1950
(37)Robert Macfarlane Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg 1950–1958
39 George Manning George Manning, 1968.jpg 1958–1968
40 Ron Guthrey Ron Guthrey, 1950.jpg 1968–1971
41 Neville Pickering Neville Pickering.jpg 1971–1974
42 Hamish Hay Hamish Hay, 1971.jpg 1974–1989 [24]
43 Vicki Buck Vicki Buck.jpg 1989–1998
44 Garry Moore Garry Moore, 2012.jpg 1998–2007
45 Bob Parker Bob Parker KNZM (cropped).jpg 2007–2013
46 Lianne Dalziel Lianne Dalziel September 2017.jpg 2013–2022
47 Phil Mauger Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg 2022–present

List of deputy-mayors of Christchurch

The position of deputy mayor was established in 1917. [1] In the first meeting of the newly elected council on 7 May 1917, Alfred Williams [25] was the first city councillor to be elected to the position. [26] Five deputy-mayors were later elected as mayors: John Beanland, James Flesher, Dan Sullivan, Ernest Andrews, and George Manning. Four deputy-mayors were mayors before they served as deputies: Henry Thacker, John Archer, Robert Macfarlane, and Vicki Buck. [1] Since October 2022, the current deputy mayor is Pauline Cotter, who is representing the Innes ward. [27]

MayorTerm (mayor)Deputy-mayorTerm (deputy)
31Henry Holland1912–19191Alfred Williams [1] 1917–1919
32Henry Thacker1919–19232 John Beanland [1] 1919–1921
3 James Flesher [1] 1921–1923
33James Flesher1923–19254Arnaud McKellar [1] [28] 1923–1925
34Rev John Archer1925–19315Charles Phipp Agar [1] [28] 1925–1927
6 Dan Sullivan [1] 1927–1929
7 Henry Thacker [1] 1929–1931
35Dan Sullivan1931–19368 Rev John Archer [1] 1931–1935
John Beanland, 2nd time [1] 1935–1936
36John Beanland1936–19389 Ernest Andrews [1] 1936–1938
37Robert Macfarlane1938–194110John Septimus "Jack" Barnett [1] [29] 1938–1941
38Ernest Andrews1941–195011 Melville Lyons [1] 1941–1947
12James (Jim) Neil Clarke [1] [30] [31] 1947–1950
Robert Macfarlane, 2nd time1950–195813 George Manning [1] 1950–1958
39George Manning1958–196814Leslie George Amos [1] [32] 1958–1959
15Harold Smith [1] [33] 1959–1971
40Ron Guthrey1968–1971
41Neville Pickering1971–197416 Robert Macfarlane [1] 1971–1974
42Hamish Hay1974–198917 Peter Skellerup [1] [34] 1974–1980
18Rex Lester [1] [35] 1980–1983
19 Maurice Carter [1] [36] 1983–1989
43Vicki Buck1989–199820 Morgan Fahey [1] 1989–1998
44Garry Moore1998–200721Lesley Keast [1] 1998–2004
22Carole Evans [1] 2005–2007
45Bob Parker2007–201323Norm Withers [37] 2008–2010
24Ngaire Button [38] 2011–2013
46Lianne Dalziel2013–202225 Vicki Buck 2013–2016
26Andrew Turner2016–2022
47Phil Mauger2022–present27Pauline Cotter2022–present

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Chairmen and mayors". Christchurch: Christchurch City Council. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Ex Mayors". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District). Christchurch: Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
  3. ↑ "Christchurch City Council". The Press . Vol. XV, no. 1993. 4 September 1869. p. 1. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Christchurch". The Star . No. 24. 10 June 1868. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  5. ↑ Grigg, A. R. "Taylor, Thomas Edward". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture and Heritage . Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act 1875". University of Auckland. 21 October 1875. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . Vol. XXIV, no. 3201. 3 December 1875. p. 1. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Christchurch". The Press . Vol. XXIV, no. 3214. 18 December 1875. p. 3. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "To the Electors of the City of Christchurch". The Star . No. 2713. 8 December 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Christchurch City Council". The Press . Vol. XXVI, no. 3516. 12 December 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "Christchurch". The Star . No. 2724. 21 December 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "City Council". The Press . Vol. XXVII, no. 3584. 3 January 1877. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "City Council". The Press . Vol. LXVII, no. 14110. 1 August 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  14. ↑ "Amendment Act". Wairarapa Daily Times . Vol. LXV, no. 11744. 6 August 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Municipal Corporations Amendment Act 1913 (4 GEO V 1913 No 62)". Parliamentary Counsel Office . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Municipal Corporations Act 1933 (24 GEO V 1933 No 30)". Parliamentary Counsel Office . Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Election of Mayors". The Star . No. 186. 16 December 1868. p. 3. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  18. ↑ "Local and General". The Star . No. 493. 15 December 1869. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  19. ↑ "Local and General". The Star . No. 803. 21 December 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  20. ↑ "Mayoral Installations". The Star . No. 6115. 21 December 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Latest Locals". The Star . No. 6731. 20 December 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  22. ↑ "Mayoral Installations". The Star . No. 6053. 15 December 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  23. ↑ "Mayoral Installation". The Star . No. 6673. 20 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  24. ↑ "Former Christchurch mayor dies". The New Zealand Herald . 8 September 2008. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  25. ↑ "Election Notices". The Press . Vol. LXV, no. 13410. 30 April 1909. p. 11. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "City Council". The Press . Vol. LIII, no. 15895. 8 May 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  27. ↑ Allott, Amber (25 October 2022). "Pauline Cotter appointed deputy mayor at first meeting for new Christchurch council". The Press . Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  28. 1 2 "Election Notices". The Press . Vol. LV, no. 16506. 25 April 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  29. ↑ "Mr. J. S. Barnett". The Evening Post . Vol. CXXXIX, no. 138. 13 June 1945. p. 8. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  30. ↑ "Sportsman Jim". New Zealand Truth . No. 1206. 10 January 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  31. ↑ "More Candidates". Evening Post . Vol. CXXXVI, no. 31. 5 August 1943. p. 6. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  32. ↑ Harper, Margaret (4 October 2013). "Christchurch Street Names A" (PDF). Christchurch City Libraries. p. 38. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  33. ↑ Hay 1989, p. 49.
  34. ↑ Hay 1989, p. 62.
  35. ↑ Hay 1989, p. 92.
  36. ↑ Crean, Mike (10 May 2011). "Maurice Carter leaves behind immense legacy". The Press . Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  37. ↑ "Withers elected as Parker's deputy". The Press . 25 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  38. ↑ "Ngaire Button". Local Government Online Limited. Retrieved 24 October 2013.

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References

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