Mayor of Far North

Mayor of Far North
Te Kahika o Te Hiku o te Ika
Coat of arms of the Far North District
Incumbent Moko Tepania since 2022
Style	His/Her Worship
Seat	Kaikohe
Term length	3 years, renewable
Formation	1989
First holder	Millie Srhoj
Deputy	Kelly Stratford
Salary	162,879 [1]
Website	Official website

Map of the Far North District within Northland

The mayor of Far North is the elected head of local government in the Far North District of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 mayors in the country. The largest town in the district is Kerikeri and the council is based in Kaikohe. The mayor presides over the Far North District Council and is directly elected using the single transferable vote method.

The current mayor is Moko Tepania, first elected in October 2022 during that year's local elections. He is a member of the Te Rarawa and Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa Maori tribes. ^[2]

Method of election

In August 2020, Far North District councillors unanimously voted to use the single transferable vote (STV) system in future elections. Then mayor John Carter abstained from voting on the issue. A non-binding survey of local residents on the issue received 637 submissions, resulting in 231-to-406 in favour of adopting STV. The council previously used a first-past-the-post system. This change of electoral system will be reconsidered following the 2025 local elections. ^[3]

List of mayors

	Mayor		Affiliation		Term	Deputy		Affiliation		Term
1		Miljenko "Millie" Srhoj		?	1989–1992		Dover Samuels		?	1989–1992
2		Sue James		?	1992–1998 [4]		?		?	1992–1998
3		Yvonne Sharp		?	1998–2007 [5]		John Klaricich		?	1998–2004 [6]
							Laurie Byers		?	2004–2007
4		Wayne Brown		?	2007–2013 [7]		Sally Macauley		?	2007–2010
							Ann Court		?	2010–2013 [8]
5		John Carter		None [9] [10] [11]	2013–2022 [12]		Tania McInnes		Independent [9]	2013–2019 [13]
									None [10]
							Ann Court		None [11]	2019–2022 [8]
6		Moko Tepania		None [14]	2022–present [15]		Kelly Stratford		Independent [14]	2022–present [16]

References

1. Edmunds, Susan (13 June 2024). "How much your local council gets paid". Radio New Zealand . Retrieved 28 June 2024.
2. "Mayor to Master's: Moko Tepania makes waves in education". University of Waikato. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
3. "Far North District Council to use Single Transferable Vote system". Northern Advocate. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
4. "Carter makes bid for third term as Far North Mayor". The Northern Advocate . 24 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
5. Gee, Tony (1 August 2007). "Mayor ups the ante in Far North contest". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 7 June 2020.
6. "Another honour to be shared". The New Zealand Herald . The Northland Age. 4 June 2013.
7. "Far North election results". The Bay Chronicle. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
8. "Ann Court to run for Far North Mayor". The New Zealand Herald . The Northland Age. 2 August 2022.
9. "Local Government Elections" (PDF). Far North District Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
10. "Local Government Elections". Far North District Council. Archived from the original on 2 April 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
11. "Elections". Far North District Council. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020.
12. Botting, Susan (7 September 2022). "Far North Mayor John Carter ends half-century-plus New Zealand government career". Radio New Zealand . Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
13. "Deputy Mayor Tania McInnes declares bid for Far North mayoralty". The New Zealand Herald . The Northern Advocate. 18 March 2019.
14. "DECLARATION OF RESULTS OF ELECTION" (PDF). Far North District Council. 8 October 2022.
15. de Graaf, Peter (14 October 2022). "Moko Tepania makes history as Far North's new mayor". The New Zealand Herald . The Northern Advocate.
16. de Graaf, Peter (17 October 2022). "Kelly Stratford named Far North's new deputy mayor". The New Zealand Herald . The Northern Advocate.