Mayors each lead a territorial authority (pictured)
Mayors in New Zealand are the directly elected leaders of New Zealand'sterritorial authorities. They chair local council meetings and have limited executive powers, including the ability to appoint a deputy mayor, establish committees, and select chairpersons for said committees. Their constitutional role, as laid out in the Local Government Act 2002, is to provide leadership to their councillors and citizens of their districts, and to guide the direction of council plans and policies. Mayors are elected using either the first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system.
Attempts to set up local government following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 were complicated by the small and spread out population of European settlers in New Zealand.[1]Wellington had established and elected a municipal corporation in 1842, but the Colonial Office disestablished it. The New Zealand Constitution Act 1846 enabled municipal bodies to be created, though this legislation was suspended from 1848 for five years. Provincial legislative councils were set up based on the proposed provinces in the 1846 Act, though with both elected and unelected appointments they were seen as unsatisfactory towards the goal of self-rule.[2]
Governor George Grey tried another attempt at local government in 1851; a Charter of Incorporation for Auckland which would be the first elected local body in the colony. It failed after less than a year.[3]Archibald Clark served as the first mayor of Auckland for this brief period.[4]
A second constitution act in 1852 established six provinces with powers over areas such as education, immigration, and tariffs. It was thought that these would suffice for local representation but municipal governments were created anyway in Auckland, Dunedin, and Christchurch.[3]William Mason served as Dunedin's first mayor from 1865,[5] whilst John Hall served as the first chairman of Christchurch Town Council from 1862.[6] The powers of these authorities was legislated in 1867 with the Municipal Corporations Act, establishing responsibility over gasworks, libraries, and other public utilities.[3] Suffrage for these bodies was limited to individual male property owners, which disenfranchised Māori as collective ownership was more common amongst them.[3]
Provinces were abolished in 1876 and their powers were mostly transferred to central government. Municipal and local governments did see their powers expanded, with power to levy rates, manage local infrastructure such as roads, and manage local utilities like museums and libraries. Further expansion in powers occurred with the Municipal Corporations Act 1876.[7]
20th century
An explosion in the number of local bodies had occurred to the point that by 1920 there were 625[8] different authorities across the country. The Town Planning Act 1926 started a period of serious attempts at reforming local government. The act required the drafting of town planning schemes by boroughs with over 1000 people by 1 January 1930. The Great Depression hindered efforts though, with the requirement going unenforced.[8]
The First Labour Government tried again to reform local government in 1936, but the bill got neglected as the Second World War dominated the agenda. The bill was picked up again in 1944, and in 1946 the Local Government Commission was set up. Its goal was to develop plans for the reorganisation of local authorities. The incoming First National Government in 1949 weakened the ability of the commission to enforce its plans.[9]
669 local authorities existed in 1973, and the newly electedThird Labour Government set forth on reform, headed by Minister of Local GovernmentHenry May. The powers of the Local Government Commission were increased and poll requirements to reject amalgamation plans were increased. 22 regional governments were set up, with elected bodies in Wellington and Auckland and appointed bodies elsewhere. The subsequent Third National Government again lessened the powers of the commission.[10]
By 1987 hundreds of special purpose bodies and dozens of local and municipal authorities were in existence.[11] The Fourth Labour Government initiated a major review, looking to change the structure of local government in the country in time for the 1989 local elections. An amendment to the Local Government Act 1974 was passed in 1989, establishing a new structure and constitutional arrangement for local government.[12] Important developments included mandatory annual reports to be published publicly. A key factor of the reforms was ensuring public accountability in the new amalgamated authorities.[13]
Powers and responsibilities
Currently, all of New Zealand's territorial authorities are headed by a directly-elected mayor. This set up goes back to the 1989 local government reforms.[14] Prior to 1989, there were 850 authorities at various levels with varying powers and responsibilities. Now there are 78 bodies, 67 excluding regional councils (which do not have mayors).[15]
When the councils surrounding Auckland were merged in 2010, a more defined set of powers for mayors in all parts of the country was implemented into the existing Local Government Act 2002.[16] Mayors now could appoint deputy mayors, as well as designate which councillors would chair and lead the various committees that ran the business of council. These new powers did raise concern though, with no mayoral veto, councils where the mayor lacked majority support could crawl to a halt as councillors pushed against the agenda of the mayor. Such dysfunctionality has reportedly occurred in several councils, including recently in Wellington and Tauranga.[17] These changes were not seen to effect the way mayors operated in actual practice.[18]
Mayors in New Zealand are considered weak in terms of the level of executive power they can wield, as granted to them via legislation. Councils are empowered to endeavour to achieve the "four well-beings", specifically the social, environmental, cultural, and economic health of their communities. This has been described as the "power of general competence."[19] In general, council responsibilities include local roads, water management, waste management, public services such as libraries, and district parks.[20]
Mayors report that they utilise de facto powers to achieve their goals as leaders, including their ability to build relationships with their communities, other councillors, mana whenua, and central government. Achieving consensus is key to the ability of a mayor to govern.[14] The relationship between a mayor and a council's chief executive officer was reported by mayors as important in shaping and delivering policy.[21] Mayors who worked closely with their councillors, those that built personal relationships and trust, were more successful at seeing their policies and goals to fruition than those that took a more hard line, less co-operative approach. Councillors regarded informal conversations and meeting opportunities with the mayor as important.[18]
Local authorities are granted "unusually" high levels of financial autonomy;[19] councils are limited in their means of raising revenue, something at least one mayor pointed to as a concern as it can limit their ability to achieve policy goals.[22] Unlike local bodies in other countries, the central government provides a minute fraction of a council's income, with upwards of 80% coming from rates.[19]
Councillors and mayors in New Zealand are not usually affiliated with political parties,[23] leading to challenges with reaching consensus amongst people elected on individual-mandates. The intrusion of party politics into local government is commonly seen as distasteful, though there has been a rise of affiliated candidates in Auckland and Christchurch since 2007.[24] A balance must be navigated between the mandate given to the mayor from the public and the political reality of working with a team of disparate people.[21]
Explicit corruption at the local level has not been seen to be a major issue, though the absence of a party structure has been seen as something that could lead to a greater risk of clientelism, with members potentially showing favour to supporters and disfavour to opponents. In a survey, 22% of councillors perceived mayors as using appointments in this way, whereas 17% of mayors said they did so.[22]
It is common for former members of parliament running in local elections to run as independents, despite having been an elected member of a political party and retaining their party membership, leading to concerns over a lack of transparency and credibility.[25]
Mayors face uncertainty in what their role can look like, in part due to central government involvement. Central government has appointed commissioners and other oversight mechanisms in the past when, in their view, a council was not functioning. This ability for central government to be involved has been linked to lessened interest amongst the general populace with local governance.[22]
Mayors are expected to follow a code of conduct.[22]
Legislation
The principal legislation outlining the formal and constitutional powers and responsibilities of the mayor is the Local Government Act 2002, specifically section 41A.[21]
The mayor is to provide leadership to the councillors and people of the district,[26] and to lead the development of the council's plans and policies.[27] The explicit powers granted to the mayor are the ability to appoint a deputy mayor, the ability to establish council committees and appoint chairpersons to said committees.[28] These powers are limited by councillors' explicit ability to remove the deputy mayor, and to discharge and/or create committees, as well as remove any chairpersons appointed by the mayor.[29] The mayor is an ex officio member of all committees.[30] The mayor cannot delegate any of their powers.[31] If a mayor declines to use their powers to appoint a deputy or a chairperson, the provisions for their election are outlined in clause 17(1) of Schedule 7 and clauses 25 and 26(3) of Schedule 7, respectively.[32]
Electoral system
Local government elections are held every three years. All mayors are currently elected at-large.[19] News coverage of local elections tends to focus on the mayoral race, with higher profile elections and candidates for the mayoralty leading to higher turnout overall.[15] The majority of elections since 1989 have been via postal voting.[33]
Two electoral systems are used at the local level within New Zealand, first-past-the-post (FPP) and single transferable vote (STV).[23] In FPP, voters pick one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they have not achieved a majority. In STV, voters rank the candidates and then preferences are tallied. The candidate with the least votes is eliminated and their second preferences are divvied out. This continues until one candidate has a majority. Currently most local councils use FPP.[25] Councils themselves can decide what system they will use at the next election.[34] On average, elections with STV systems saw one additional candidate. Incumbent mayors are more likely to be defeated under STV. Māori candidates for local government positions who were on the Māori electoral roll were less successful than Māori and non-Māori on the general roll, whilst female candidates were more successful than male candidates. Women were under-nominated compared to men for local office relative to their population.[35]
Candidates for mayor must meet the criteria that are required to be met by all local government candidates. These include being a citizen of New Zealand, securing the nominations of two people on the electoral roll within the area, and paying a deposit of $200.[36]
Participation in local government elections has decreased over the past decade, with fewer people voting in subsequent elections. This has led to concerns around the extant to which democracy exists at the local level.[19] The numerous examples of uncontested mayoral elections is seen as a symptom and cause of lowered turnout.[37] There is the perception that local government serves ratepayers, the property owning class.[15]
The most recent elections were held in 2022.[38]Tauranga had a mayoral election in 2024 following a period under commission.[39]
Demographics
There are currently 67 mayors.[14] Mayors (and councillors generally) are disproportionally Pākehā and male. The Human Rights Commission has called the under-representation of Māori in local government "one of the top ten race relations challenges" in the country.[20]
Beyer with the Governor-General, Patsy Reddy, in 2020.
Georgina Beyer
Beyer (1957–2023) was the world's first openly transgender mayor.[41] First elected to the Carterton District Council in 1993, she went on to win the mayoral elections of 1995 and 1998. She was later the Labour MP for Wairarapa from 1999 to 2005, and then a List MP until she retired in 2007.[41]
Charles Mackay
Mackay (1875–1929) was mayor of Whanganui and a convicted attempted-murderer. In 1920, Mackay shot Walter D'Arcy Cresswell, after Cresswell allegedly threatened to out Mackay as a homosexual following alleged advances by Mackay towards Cresswell.[42]
Percy Murphy
Murphy (1924–2009) was the country's first Māori mayor. His iwi was Ngāti Manawa and he was their last member to serve as a soldier in the 28th Māori Battalion, having enlisted at the age of 16. He served on the Murupara Borough Council and then was the mayor of Murupara from 1960 to 1969. He was very involved with his iwi and his marae after being mayor.[43]
Tim Shadbolt
Shadbolt (b. 1947) is the country's longest-serving mayor and a national icon. He served for eight terms as mayor of Invercargill, almost continuously since first being elected in 1993.[44] He was also previously mayor of Waitemata.[45] He failed to win re-election in 2022.[44]
Elizabeth Yates
Yates (1840–1918) was the first female mayor in the British Empire. After her husband stood down as mayor of Onehunga, she was nominated for the office and then stood in and won the 1893 mayoral election against only one other opponent. She received congratulations from PremierRichard Seddon and Queen Victoria. She lost the subsequent 1894 election, serving less than a year.[46]
The New Zealand Labour Party, also known simply as Labour, is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers describe Labour as social democratic and pragmatic in practice. The party participates in the international Progressive Alliance. It is one of two major political parties in New Zealand, alongside its traditional rival, the National Party.
Territorial authorities are the second tier of local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 city councils, 53 district councils and the Chatham Islands Council. District councils serve a combination of rural and urban communities, while city councils administer the larger urban areas. Five territorial authorities also perform the functions of a regional council and thus are unitary authorities. The Chatham Islands Council is a sui generis territorial authority that is similar to a unitary authority.
Sandra Rose Te Hakamatua Lee-Vercoe is a former New Zealand politician and diplomat. She served as deputy leader of the Alliance party and was later High Commissioner to Niue.
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.
Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Mākara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amalgamation of various territorial authorities. The mayor is supported by a deputy mayor.
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.
Penny Webster is a former mayor of Rodney District and a councillor on the Auckland Council. As mayor of Rodney she headed one of the six main local government entities generally considered as making up the Auckland metropolitan area, with her district being the northernmost entity. All of these entities were merged into the new Auckland Council in 2010. She was also a former New Zealand politician: an MP from 1999 to 2002, representing the ACT New Zealand party.
The New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted self-government to the Colony of New Zealand. It was the second such Act, the previous 1846 Act not having been fully implemented. The purpose of the Act was to have constitutional independence from Britain. The definition of franchise or the ability to vote excluded all women, most Māori, all non-British people and those with convictions for serious offences.
Auckland Council is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to the Local Government Act 2009, which established the council. The governing body consists of a mayor and 20 councillors, elected from 13 wards. There are also 149 members of 21 local boards who make decisions on matters local to their communities. It is the largest council in Oceania, with a $3 billion annual budget, $29 billion of ratepayer equity, and 9,870 full-time staff as of 30 June 2016. The council began operating on 1 November 2010, combining the functions of the previous regional council and the region's seven city and district councils into one "super council" or "super city".
The 2010 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections to select local government officials and district health board members. All elections are conducted by postal ballot, with election day being Saturday 9 October 2010.
New Zealand has a unitary system of government in which the authority of the central government defines sub-national entities. Local government in New Zealand has only the powers conferred upon it by the New Zealand Parliament. Under the Local Government Act 2002, local authorities are responsible for enabling democratic local decision-making and promoting the social, economic, environmental, and cultural well-being of their communities, as well as more specific functions for which they have delegated authority.
Denise Adrienne Lee is a New Zealand politician who was the National Party's Member of Parliament for the Maungakiekie electorate from 2017 to 2020. She was previously an Auckland Council local body councillor.
Local government bodies in New Zealand have responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2002 (LGA) to perform a wide range of functions, and provide a wide range of services to the communities they represent. There is not an explicit focus on human rights in New Zealand local government, or any direct reference to human rights under the LGA. Local bodies in New Zealand are required to act in a way that is consistent with the rights guaranteed under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (NZBORA). Internationally there is growing consideration of how local government does and could promote and protect fundamental rights.
The 2016 Auckland local elections took place between September and October 2016 by postal vote. The elections were the third since the merger of seven councils into the Auckland Council, which is composed of the mayor and 20 councillors, and 149 members of 21 local boards. Twenty-one district health board members and 41 licensing trust members were also elected.
The 1990 Auckland City mayoral by-election was held to fill the vacant position of Mayor of Auckland. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The 1941 Auckland City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. In 1941, elections were held for the Mayor of Auckland plus other local government positions including twenty-one city councillors. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
Māori wards and constituencies refer to wards and constituencies on urban, district, and regional councils in New Zealand that represent local constituents registered on the Māori parliamentary electoral roll vote. Like Māori electorates within the New Zealand Parliament, the purpose of Māori wards and constituencies is to ensure that Māori are represented in local government decision making.
The 2022 Wellington City mayoral election, part of the Wellington local elections in October 2022, determined who would serve as Mayor of the City of Wellington for the next three-year term. It was won by Tory Whanau, a former Green Party parliamentary chief of staff.
The 2022 New Zealand local elections were triennial elections held in New Zealand on Saturday 8 October 2022. Voting began by postal vote on 16 September and ended at noon on 8 October 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
New Zealandportal 
