Phil Mauger

Last updated

Mauger's voice
Mauger introducing himself, recorded September 2024
His Worship
Phil Mauger
Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg
47th Mayor of Christchurch
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 October 2022

Philip Simon Mauger (born c. 1958) is a politician and former businessman who has served as the Mayor of Christchurch since 2022.

Contents

Before entering politics, Mauger owned and operated an earthmoving and construction company. In 2019 he was elected to the Christchurch City Council as councillor for the Burwood ward. At the following local-body elections in 2022 he was elected mayor of Christchurch.

Early life and business career

Mauger grew up in Burwood, later moving to Avonhead. He is the son of Warner and Patricia Mauger. [1] Warner operated a service station and car mechanic business in Burwood. [2]

In 1974 he started working for his grandfather's company Maugers Contracting, later becoming the owner. [2] The business works mainly in earthworks for subdivisions, roads and drainage. [3] The business was involved in restoring roads in the east of Christchurch after the 2010 Christchurch earthquakes. [2]

Mauger and Christchurch Mag & Turbo Warehouse owner Hayden Knighton were badly injured in 2015 when their car was sandwiched between four vehicles (including a fuel tanker) on the Great Western Highway west of Sydney necessitating a long recovery period. [4] He suffered 21 broken bones and was in intensive care for two weeks. [2]

Political life

Mauger is a centre-right independent politician. [5] [6] [7] He has been aligned with the "frugal five"; a group of councillors that take a conservative approach to council spending, and oppose increases in rates. He has been described as having a "hands-on" approach to resolving problems, that has sometimes put him in conflict with council staff and bylaws. [8]

City Councillor

Mauger was elected as the councillor for Burwood ward in the 2019 local government election. [9] He defeated three-term incumbent Glenn Livingstone who had been in the seat since 2010. [10]

In 2020, Mauger used heavy equipment from his company to dig a drainage trench on residential red zone land. [11] This was a "vigilante" attempt to resolve flooding in the area. However, he had not sought permission from council. The repair and remediation cost the council approximately NZ$ 9,000. [12] He was fined NZ$300. [13] In March 2021 he opened a quarry without appropriate consents in Templeton. [14]

In November 2021 he sent a text message to the then Mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, about his son's desire to build a film studio. This was identified by Dalziel as a conflict of interest issue. [15] [16] He was also warned by the council to follow official channels after directly contacting staff at an organic waste company the council had a contract with. [15]

In response to the stench from the waste plant fire Mauger offered to fill his fire-engine with bleach and spray it on the waste plant remains. [17] This idea was rejected by both council staff and fellow councillors, as it would be difficult to administer and potentially create a greater hazard. [18] [19]

During his time as a councillor, Mauger attended 67 of 69 council meetings, and 125 of 136 council briefings. [13]

Mayoralty

Mauger declared his intention to run for mayor approximately a year before the 2022 mayoral election. At the time he also gave up directorship and ownership of his contracting business to focus on politics. [20] He received donations totalling NZ$147,000, most of which was used prior to the three months before the election. [21] Mauger donated to four councillor candidates, [22] and personally endorsed 13 candidates across the city council and local boards, in order to get 'like-minded individuals' in place. [23]

Mauger won the election with a narrow majority over rival candidate David Meates. [24] [25] [26] He was sworn into the role of mayor on 25 October 2022 along with his deputy Pauline Cotter. [27]

A review of his performance against his election promises during the first six months of his role as mayor found he had not met his target of reducing rates, but he had some success in reducing the beauracracy at council. [28] In his mayoral campaign, Mauger promised a roving rapid response "pothole crew" to repair minor damage to footpaths where traffic management is not required. [29] In the first six months the team performed 1939 repairs. [30]

In October 2023, Mauger expressed his belief that the council was in a poor financial position. During the early stages of planning, an 18% rise in rates was considered possible as part of the 2024–2034 Long Term Plan. He proposed cutting services such as libraries and swimming pools to mitigate the rates rise, saying "everything is on the table". [31] Ultimately the LTP resulted in a 9.90% average rates increase for the year 2024/2025. [32]

Mauger supported the restoration of the Governors Bay jetty, personally contributing to the restoration costs. [33] The restored jetty opened in September 2023. [34]

In November 2023 Mauger penned a letter to the international group Mayors for Peace, addressing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. He called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. [35]

In January 2024, Mauger suggested in a report to council that Christchurch could host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. Christchurch previously hosted the games in 1974. The suggestion was met by protestors in the council chamber, and despite a lukewarm response from councillors they agreed to ask council staff to investigate the possibility. [36] [37] In September, staff from the council's economic development agency — ChristchurchNZ — recommended the council not spend any more money investigating the possibility. [38] [39]

In mid-June 2024, Mauger and a majority of councillors announced that Christchurch City Council would be withdrawing from Local Government New Zealand after the association raised its annual membership costs by more than NZ$20,000. He supported the withdrawal on the grounds that it would allow the Council to directly advocate for issues important to Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. [40]

In 2024 Mauger led a council delegation in a visit to Shenzhen, China. [41]

Personal life

Mauger and his wife, Chrissy, have five children between them as well as five grandchildren. He is a motor racing enthusiast and has raced cars all over the world. [2]

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References

  1. ↑ Kenny, Jake (2 September 2024), "Fight continues over dad's $1m", The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024– via PressReader
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Christchurch council team", The Press , 2 September 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024– via PressReader
  3. ↑ "The Mayor", Christchurch City Council , archived from the original on 22 May 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024
  4. ↑ "Christchurch men facing long recovery". The Press . 9 February 2015. p. A2.
  5. ↑ "Turner ends mayoral race: Who will take on Mauger?", Otago Daily Times , 23 February 2022, retrieved 1 September 2024
  6. ↑ "'Appetite for change': Strong election for right-leaning mayors across NZ", Otago Daily Times , 8 October 2022, archived from the original on 24 October 2022, retrieved 1 September 2024
  7. ↑ Law, Tina (7 May 2022), "Left or Right", The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024– via PressReader
  8. ↑ Law, Tina (6 August 2021), "Bylaw-breaking trench-digger declares bid for Christchurch mayoralty", Stuff , archived from the original on 8 February 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024
  9. ↑ Christchurch City Council (16 October 2019), 2019 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2024, retrieved 2 September 2024
  10. ↑ "Six new faces around the council table", Otago Daily Times , 12 October 2019, archived from the original on 7 August 2020, retrieved 1 September 2024
  11. ↑ Law, Tina (14 April 2021). "Christchurch councillor fined $300 for digging unauthorised trench". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Law, Tina (5 August 2020). "Christchurch councillors in hot water over vigilante action". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  13. 1 2 Law, Tina (2 September 2024), "How has Christchurch City Council performed this term?", The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024– via PressReader
  14. ↑ Law, Tina (31 May 2022). "Oops, he did it again: Christchurch mayoral candidate started work on his quarry without consent". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Mayoral candidate told off by council boss". Newsroom. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "Mauger denies lobbying mayor over son's studio plans". Newsroom . 29 September 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Law, Tina (20 April 2022). "Christchurch mayoral candidate wants to fill fire truck with bleach to get rid of wastewater plant stench". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Mayoral candidate told off by council boss". Newsroom. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  19. ↑ Law, Tina (21 April 2022). "Environment Canterbury refuses to issue consent breach over wastewater stink". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Law, Tina (6 August 2021), "Bylaw-breaking trench-digger declares bid for Christchurch mayoralty", Stuff , archived from the original on 8 February 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024
  21. ↑ Gill, Sinead (16 December 2022). "Christchurch mayor entered election with war chest of donations". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Law, Steven Walton and Tina (12 August 2022). "Mauger's machine: Mayoral hopeful donates to four city council candidates". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  23. ↑ Law, Steven Walton and Tina (12 August 2022). "Mauger's machine: Mayoral hopeful donates to four city council candidates". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "New Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger promises to work to get best outcomes for city". RNZ . 8 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Leask, Anna (7 October 2022), "Your Vote 2022: Christchurch elects new mayor – Phil Mauger wins top seat in Garden City contest", The New Zealand Herald , archived from the original on 13 February 2023, retrieved 1 September 2024
  26. ↑ "Phil Mauger wins Christchurch mayoralty". Newsline. 9 October 2022.
  27. ↑ "New mayor sworn-in, deputy appointed". Otago Daily Times . 26 October 2022.
  28. ↑ Walton, Steven (7 April 2023). "Six months into his mayoralty, how is Phil Mauger doing as the leader of Christchurch?". Stuff . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Gill, Sinead (3 July 2023), "Mayor's roving footpath fixers get to work" , The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024
  30. ↑ Law, Tina (5 February 2024), "City roads 'absolute disgrace'", The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024– via Pressreader
  31. ↑ "Council to consider shutting libraries and cutting swimming pool hours to avoid 18% rates rise". The Press . Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "Council confirms plan to secure bright future for Christchurch and Banks Peninsula", Newsline, 26 June 2024, archived from the original on 9 July 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024
  33. ↑ Law, Tina (8 May 2023), "Finish line in sight for Governor's Bay jetty restoration" , The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024
  34. ↑ "Jetty", governorsbay.nz, archived from the original on 1 September 2024, retrieved 1 September 2024
  35. ↑ MacDuff, Keiller (12 November 2023), "Christchurch's mayor calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza" , The Press , retrieved 1 September 2024
  36. ↑ "Christchurch councillors vote to consider hosting 2030 Commonwealth Games", Otago Daily Times , 23 January 2024, archived from the original on 25 January 2024, retrieved 4 September 2024
  37. ↑ Gill, Sinead (19 January 2024), "Mayor's wishlist: Commonwealth Games 2030 and more money for Te Kaha", The Press , archived from the original on 29 January 2024, retrieved 4 September 2024
  38. ↑ "Christchurch told not to spend more money on potentially hosting Commonwealth Games" , The Press , 4 September 2024, retrieved 4 September 2024
  39. ↑ Cunningham, Jaime (3 September 2024), "Christchurch City Council told to scrap the idea of hosting the Commonwealth Games", The New Zealand Herald , retrieved 4 September 2024
  40. ↑ "Christchurch councillors decide to exit LGNZ". RNZ . 19 June 2024. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  41. ↑ "Christchurch mayor's first visit to SZ strengthens bilateral ties", GD Today, retrieved 1 September 2024
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Christchurch
2022–present		Incumbent
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