Mayor of Wellington

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Mayor of Wellington
Flag of Wellington City, New Zealand.svg
Flag of the city of Wellington
Tory Whanau official portrait 2025 (cropped full).jpg
Incumbent
Tory Whanau
since 15 October 2022
Wellington City Council
Style Her Worship
TypeCouncil Leader
Member of Wellington City Council
Seat Wellington Town Hall
AppointerElectorate of Wellington City
Term length Three years, renewable
Inaugural holder George Hunter
Formation3 October 1842
DeputyLaurie Foon
Salary$167,800 [1]
Website official website

The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representation. The current mayor is Tory Whanau, elected in October 2022 for a three-year-term.

Contents

Whanau, a member of the Green Party who ran as an independent, won the 2022 Wellington mayoral election in a landslide. She was inaugurated within the same month. Whanau is the first indigenous person and the first Māori woman to hold the Wellington mayoralty. [2] [3]

History

The development of local government in Wellington was erratic. The first attempt to establish governmental institutions, the so-called "Wellington Republic", was short-lived and based on rules written by the New Zealand Company. Colonel William Wakefield was to be the first president. [4]

When the self-proclaimed government arrested a ship's captain for a violation of Wellington law, the Governor William Hobson quickly asserted British sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand, sending a warship and contingent of soldiers to Wellington Harbour and disbanding the council through a show of force. [5]

In January 1842, the Legislative Council in Auckland passed the Municipal Corporations Ordinance, and in May 1842 Wellington was officially proclaimed a borough, the first municipality with this status. The office of mayor was established, but there were only two holders of this office under the Ordinance. George Hunter received the most votes in the election for 12 Burgesses to the new council on 3 October 1842 and was declared mayor. [6] He died suddenly on 19 July 1843. William Guyton was then declared mayor, as runner-up in 1842. [7]

The British Government disallowed the Municipal Corporations Ordinance, but news of this did not reach Wellington until late September 1843, after the election had been held and a second Burgess Roll of qualified voters had been prepared, in 1843 (both Rolls are listed in Carman 1970). After a brief period of little local government, the Province of Wellington was established in 1852, and most of Wellington's affairs were handled by the provincial government. [8]

In 1863, a Town Board was established with three wards (Thorndon, Lambton, Te Aro), but no Mayor. [9]

On 16 September 1870, Wellington was officially incorporated as a city, and a new mayoralty created, which continues to be in place. [10] The establishment of the new council was primarily driven by John Plimmer, called by some the Father of Wellington. [11] Initially, the councillors elected one of their own as mayor towards the end of the year. The role was traditionally awarded to the longest serving councillor. The system changed upon the introduction of The Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act, 1875. It legislated that mayors must be elected at large by eligible voters. [12] The inaugural mayoral election was held in 1874 resulting in William Sefton Moorhouse being the first mayor to be elected directly by voters. [13]

Since then the office of mayor has been held by 37 people. Five people have been mayor on two separate occasions, and the longest-serving mayor was Sir Frank Kitts, from 1956 to 1974. Tory Whanau, elected in 2022, is the first Māori person to serve as mayor. [2]

List of mayors of Wellington

Key

   Independent    Citizens'    Labour

#NamePortraitTerm of officeElections
- George Hunter George Hunter (mayor).jpg 3 October 184219 July 1843† 1842
- William Guyton William Guyton.jpg 26 July 18439 December 1843
1 Joe Dransfield Joseph Dransfield.jpg 28 September 187017 December 1873
2 Charles Borlase Charles Borlase.jpg 8 January 187428 January 1875
3 William Sefton Moorhouse William Sefton Moorhouse1.jpg 28 January 18751 December 1875 1874
4 William Hutchison William Hutchison, 1882.jpg 15 December 187519 December 1877 18751876
(1) Joe Dransfield Joseph Dransfield.jpg 19 December 18779 May 1879 18771878
5 George Allen George Allen (mayor).jpg 10 May 187929 May 1879
(Acting Mayor)
(4) William Hutchison William Hutchison, 1882.jpg 29 May 187930 November 1881 1879 18791880
6 George Fisher George Fisher, between 1884 and 1890.jpg 30 November 188117 December 1885 18811882
18831884
7 Arthur Winton Brown Arthur Winton Brown.jpg 17 December 188515 December 1886 1885
8 Sam Brown Samuel Brown.jpg 15 December 188627 December 1888 18861887
9 John Duthie John Duthie, ca 1900.jpg 27 December 188819 December 1889 1888
10 Charles Johnston Charles J. Johnston.jpg 19 December 188923 December 1890 1889
(7) Arthur Winton Brown Arthur Winton Brown.jpg 23 December 189016 December 1891 1890
11 Francis Bell Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell, ca 1924.jpg 16 December 189120 December 1893 18911892
12 Alfred Brandon Mayor Alfred de Bathe Brandon.jpg 20 December 189320 December 1894 1893
13 Charles Luke Charles Manley Luke.jpg 20 December 189419 December 1895 1894
(6) George Fisher George Fisher, ca 1890s.jpg 19 December 189516 December 1896 1895
(11) Francis Bell Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell, ca 1924.jpg 16 December 189615 December 1897 1896
14 John Blair John Rutherford Blair.jpg 15 December 189721 December 1899 18971898
15 John Aitken John Guthrie Wood Aitken, ca 1902-1908.jpg 21 December 18994 May 1905 189919001901
190219031904
16 Thomas William Hislop Thomas William Hislop, 1908.jpg 4 May 19055 May 1909 19051906
19071908
17 Alfred Newman Alfred Kingcome Newman.jpg 5 May 19095 May 1910 1909
18 Thomas Wilford Thomas Wilford, 1909.jpg 5 May 19102 May 1912 19101911
19 David McLaren David McLaren.jpg 2 May 19128 May 1913 1912
20 John Luke John Luke.jpg 8 May 191311 May 1921 191319141915
19171919
21 Robert Wright Robert Alexander Wright.jpg 11 May 192113 May 1925 19211923
22 Charles Norwood Charles Norwood.jpg 13 May 192511 May 1927 1925
23 George Troup George Alexander Troup (1863-1941) by Stanley Polkinghorne Andrew (c.1879-1964) in 1927.jpg 11 May 192720 May 1931 19271929
24 Thomas Hislop Thomas Charles Atkinson Hislop.jpg 20 May 193114 June 1944 193119331935
19381941
25 Will Appleton Will Appleton.jpg 14 June 19446 December 1950 19441947
26 Robert Macalister Robert Macalister.jpg 6 December 19506 December 1956 19501953
27 Frank Kitts Frank Kitts, 1954.jpg 6 December 195613 November 1974 195619591962
196519681971
28 Michael Fowler Michael Fowler, 1965.jpg 13 November 197426 October 1983 197419771980
29 Ian Lawrence Ian Lawrence, 1986.jpg 26 October 198330 October 1986 1983
30 Jim Belich Jim Belich, 1986.jpg 30 October 198628 October 1992 19861989
31 Fran Wilde Fran Wilde 2017.jpg 28 October 199228 October 1995 1992
32 Mark Blumsky Blumsky portrait.jpg 28 October 199527 October 2001 19951998
33 Kerry Prendergast Kerry Prendergast, 2011.jpg 27 October 200127 October 2010 200120042007
34 Celia Wade-Brown Celia Wade-Brown, 2013.jpg 27 October 201010 October 2016 20102013
35 Justin Lester Justin Lester 2016 (cropped).jpg 10 October 201619 October 2019 2016
36 Andy Foster Official photo of Andy Foster.png 19 October 201915 October 2022 2019
37 Tory Whanau Tory Whanau 2022 cropped.jpg 15 October 2022Present 2022

List of deputy-mayors of Wellington

Key

   Independent    Citizens'    Labour    Greens

NameTerm of officeMayor
John Smith19101912 Wilford
Vacant
George Frost19201921 Luke
Vacant
Martin Luckie 19231931 Troup
William Bennett19311936† Hislop
Martin Luckie 19361947
Appleton
Robert Macalister 19471950
William Stevens19501953 Macalister
Ernest Toop 19531956
Harry Nankervis19561960 Kitts
Bill Arcus19601962
Denis McGrath 19621965
Matt Benney 19651966
Bob Archibald19661970
George Porter 19701971
John Jeffries 19711974
Ian Lawrence 19741983 Fowler
Gavin Wilson19831986 Lawrence
Helene Ritchie 19861988 Belich
Terry McDavitt 19881989
David Watt19891995
Wilde
Kerry Prendergast 19952001 Blumsky
Alick Shaw20012007 Prendergast
Ian McKinnon 20072013
Wade-Brown
Justin Lester 20132016
Paul Eagle 20162017 Lester
Jill Day 20172019
Sarah Free20192022 Foster
Laurie Foon2022present Whanau

Timeline

Tory WhanauAndy FosterJustin Lester (politician)Celia Wade-BrownKerry PrendergastMark BlumskyFran WildeJim BelichIan Lawrence (mayor)Michael FowlerFrank KittsRobert MacalisterWill AppletonThomas Hislop (mayor)George Troup (architect)Charles NorwoodRobert Wright (New Zealand politician)John Luke (New Zealand politician)David McLaren (politician)Thomas WilfordAlfred Newman (politician)Thomas William HislopJohn Aitken (politician)John Rutherford BlairCharles Luke (politician)Alfred Brandon (mayor)Francis Bell (New Zealand politician)Charles Johnston (New Zealand politician)John Duthie (politician)Samuel BrownArthur Winton BrownGeorge Fisher (New Zealand politician)George Allen (New Zealand politician)William HutchisonWilliam Sefton MoorhouseCharles BorlaseJoseph DransfieldWilliam GuytonGeorge Hunter (mayor)Mayor of Wellington

Notes

  1. Hendry, Simon (2 May 2016). "Mayors and councillors' pay will increase by between 1.5 and 3 per cent from July". The Dominion Post . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Wellington election: Tory Whanau 'humbled' to be new mayor". Newshub . Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  3. "Former Green Party chief of staff Tory Whanau elected as mayor of Wellington". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  4. Betts 1970, p. 21.
  5. Yska 2006, p. 22.
  6. Betts 1970, p. 28.
  7. Betts 1970, p. 262.
  8. Yska 2006, pp. 29–31.
  9. Betts 1970, p. 33.
  10. Yska 2006, p. 63.
  11. Yska 2006, pp. 42–44.
  12. "Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act 1875". University of Auckland. 21 October 1875. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  13. "The Election of Mayor". The New Zealand Times . Vol. XXIX, no. 4290. 19 December 1874. p. 3. Retrieved 17 March 2019.

References