Mayor of Tauranga

Mayor of Tauranga
Coat of arms of Tauranga
since 2 August 2024
StyleHis/Her Worship
SeatTauranga
Term length3 years, renewable[a]
Formation1882
First holderGeorge Vesey Stewart
DeputyJen Scoular[1]
Salary$172,918[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The mayor of Tauranga is the head of local government in Tauranga, New Zealand's fifth-largest city. The mayor presides over the Tauranga City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the single transferable vote method. The current mayor is Mahé Drysdale, elected in the 2024 Tauranga local elections. He assumed office on 2 August.[3]

History

Tauranga was gazetted as a borough in 1882, and achieved sufficient population to become a city in 1963. The 1989 Local Body reforms saw the city become part of the Tauranga District, before the City of Tauranga was reproclaimed in 2004.

Elections for mayor were held annually from 1882 up to 1915, when terms become two years. In 1935 terms were made three years, the current system. The election used first-past-the-post voting up until the 2016 election,[4] then changed to single transferable vote.[5]

One of Tauranga's longest-serving mayors was Canon Charles Jordan, who was mayor for nine years in total over five separate periods. He is the subject of a commemorative statue, unveiled in Tauranga Domain in 1916, four years after his death.[6]

Tenby Powell was elected to the mayoralty in October 2019 but resigned in November 2020,[7] eight months after he was unanimously censured by his council for an angry outburst.[8][9] Following further mayoral "outbursts,"[10][11] Powell publicly called for the Minister of Local Government to appoint a commission to replace the "dysfunctional" council.[12][13] The decision to cancel the election for a new mayor and councillors, and the appointment of a Crown commission instead by minister Nanaia Mahuta on 9 February 2021 was not without controversy. A legal opinion by law firm Russell McVeagh found her decision may have been "unlawful"[14] and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges called the decision "dramatic and draconian",[15] while saying that Powell quitting removed "a significant source of friction" and it was reasonable to assume the council would become more functional with the election of a new Mayor and Councillor.[16]

The council and mayor were restored following elections in 2024. Mahé Drysdale was elected as mayor.

List of mayors

Tauranga Borough Council (1882–1963)
Mayor Term
1 George Vesey Stewart 1882[17]
2 Richard Coles Jordan 1882–1883
3 Thomas Wrigley 1883–1885[18]
4 Charles Jordan 1885–1886[19]
5 David Lundon 1886–1888[19][20]
6 James Bodell 1888–1889[21][22]
7 Robert Sharpe Galbraith 1889–1890[23][24]
(5) David Lundon 1890–1893[25][26]
8 Richard John Gill 1893[27]
9 Charles Angus Clarke 1893–1898[28][29][30][31]
10 Gerard Arnold Ward 1898–1899[32]
11 James Weir Gray 1899–1900[33]
(4) Charles Jordan 1900–1905[34]
12 William McKenzie Commons 1906–1907[35]
(4) Charles Jordan 1907–1908[36]
13 John Bull 1908–1909[37][38]
(4) Charles Jordan 1909–1910[38]
(13) John Bull 1910–1911[39]
(4) Charles Jordan 1911–1912
14 Benjamin Robbins 1912–1915[40][41]
15 Charles Macmillan 1915–1917[42]
16 John Cuthbert Adams 1917–1919[43]
17 Bradshaw Dive 1919–1929[44]
(14) Benjamin Robbins 1929–1933[41]
18 Alfred Francis Daly Tunks 1933–1935
19 Lionel Wilkinson 1935–1950
20 Bill Barnard 1950–1952[45]
(19) Lionel Wilkinson 1952–1956
21 David Mitchell 1956–1963
Tauranga City Council (1963–1989)
Mayor Term
(21) David Mitchell 1963–1968
22 Bob Owens 1968–1977[46]
23 Eric Faulkner 1977–1980
24 Raymond Francis Dillon 1980–1983
25 Noel Pope 1983–1989
Tauranga District Council (1989–2003)
Mayor Term
26 Keith "Nobby" Clarke 1989–1995
(25) Noel Pope 1995–2001[47]
27 Jan Beange 2001–2003[47][48]
Tauranga City Council (2003–present)
Mayor Term
(27) Jan Beange 2003–2004[47][48]
28 Stuart Crosby 2004–2016[48]
29 Greg Brownless 2016–2019[49]
30 Tenby Powell 2019–2020[50][12]
– Replaced by Crown commission 2020–2024
31 Mahé Drysdale 2024–

Notes

  1. ^ Following the 2024 election, the mayor will serve a 4 years term until the 2028 local elections.

References

  1. ^ "Tauranga mayor Mahé Drysdale honours grandfather as he's sworn in". Stuff.co.nz. 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  2. ^ Edmunds, Susan (13 June 2024). "How much your local council gets paid". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  3. ^ Evens, Alisha (2 August 2024). "Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale honours grandfather as he's sworn in". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  4. ^ "2007 Local Elections". Elections New Zealand. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Voting – Tauranga City Council". www.tauranga.govt.nz. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Tauranga Domain". Tauranga City Libraries. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell resigns". Rnz.co.nz. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. ^ "'I made a mistake': Tauranga mayor told to apologise for 'outburst'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  9. ^ "SunLive – Mayor to apologise for "bullying comments" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell in informal meeting". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Tauranga mayor's profanity-laced flip-flop over quitting". Stuff.co.nz. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b Shand, Matt (20 November 2020). "Tauranga mayor resigns, calls for commissioner to be appointed". Waikato Times. Stuff. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Tauranga mayor's shock resignation: Tenby Powell calls for Government to step in". Bay of Plenty Times. The New Zealand Herald. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  14. ^ "SunLive – Commissioners appointment labelled "unlawful" – The Bay's News First". Sunlive.co.nz. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  15. ^ Motion, Samantha (25 November 2020). "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  16. ^ "'Draconian': Simon Bridges urges minister not to intervene in council".
  17. ^ Rorke, Jinty (22 June 2007). "Stewart, George Vesey 1832? – 1920". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  18. ^ "MAYORAL ELECTIONS". Hawera & Normanby Star. 27 November 1884. pp. Volume V, Issue 964, Page 2. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  19. ^ a b "Borough Council Installation Of Mayor". Bay Of Plenty Times. 23 December 1887. pp. Volume XV, Issue 2225, Page 2. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  20. ^ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 2". Bay Of Plenty Times. 2 December 1887. pp. Volume XV, Issue 2219, Page 3. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  21. ^ Sinclair, Keith (22 June 2007). "Bodell, James 1831? – 1892". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  22. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 21 November 1888. pp. Volume XV, Issue 2361, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  23. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 28 November 1889. pp. Volume XVI, Issue 2472, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  24. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 20 March 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  25. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 17 November 1890. pp. Volume XVII, Issue 2583, Page 3. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  26. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 16 November 1891. pp. Volume XX, Issue 2755, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  27. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 21 November 1892. pp. Volume XXI, Issue 2907, Page 5. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  28. ^ "Page 5 Advertisements Column 1". Bay Of Plenty Times. 20 November 1893. pp. Volume XXII, Issue 3050, Page 5. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  29. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 30 November 1894. pp. Volume XXII, Issue 3201, Page 5. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  30. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 18 November 1895. pp. Page 5. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  31. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 15 November 1897. pp. Volume XXIV, Issue 3624, Page 5. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  32. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Mayoral Election". Bay Of Plenty Times. 2 December 1898. pp. Volume XXIV, Issue 3782, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  33. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Election of Mayor". Bay Of Plenty Times. 1 December 1899. pp. Volume XXIV, Issue 3932, Page 2. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  34. ^ "Borough of Tauranga Election of Mayor". Bay Of Plenty Times. 29 April 1904. pp. Volume XXXI, Issue 4592, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  35. ^ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 2". Bay Of Plenty Times. 27 June 1906. pp. Volume XXXIV, Issue 4917, Page 3. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  36. ^ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 2". Bay Of Plenty Times. 19 April 1907. pp. Volume XXXV, Issue 5041, Page 3. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  37. ^ "The Palmerston North Contest". Wanganui Herald. 30 April 1908. pp. Volume XXXXII, Issue 12452, Page 5. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  38. ^ a b "BOROUGH COUNCIL". Bay Of Plenty Times. 7 May 1909. pp. Volume XXXVII, Issue 5333, Page 2. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  39. ^ "Election of Mayor". Bay Of Plenty Times. 22 April 1910. pp. Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5499, Page 3. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  40. ^ "RESULTS ELSEWHERE". Evening Post. pp. Volume LXXXVII, Issue 101, 30 April 1914, Page 3. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  41. ^ a b "Robbins Park". Tauranga City Council. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  42. ^ "Further Results In Other Places". Vol. lxxxix, no. 100. The Evening Post. 29 April 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  43. ^ "The Tauranga Elections". Thames Star. Vol. LVIII, no. 18325. 26 April 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  44. ^ "Forgotten area of Tauranga is remembered". Nztauranga.evosuite.co.nz. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  45. ^ Atkinson, Neill (22 June 2007). "Barnard, William Edward 1886 – 1958". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  46. ^ "Sir Robert Owens". Owens.co.nz. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  47. ^ a b c Macbrayne, Rosaleen (14 October 2001). "Surprised BOP winner delighted". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  48. ^ a b c "Winners and losers around the country". Tvnz.co.nz. 9 October 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
  49. ^ "ELECTION: New Tauranga mayor announced". Bay of Plenty Times. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  50. ^ "Tenby Powell wins Tauranga Mayoralty – The Bay's News First". SunLive. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2019.

Sources

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