Mayor of Christchurch

Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Political post The mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Phil Mauger, was elected in the 2022 mayoral election. The current deputy mayor is Pauline Cotter.

Christchurch was initially governed by the chairman of the town council. In 1868, the chairman became the city council's first mayor as determined by his fellow city councillors. Since 1875, the mayor is elected by eligible voters and, after an uncontested election, the first election was held in the following year.

History

Chairmen of the Town Council

Christchurch became a city by Royal charter on 31 July 1856; the first in New Zealand. Since 1862, chairmen were in charge of local government. Five chairmen presided in the initial years:<ref name="Chairmen and mayors">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

	Name	Portrait	Term
1	John Hall	File:John Hall.jpg	1862–1863
2	John Ollivier	File:John Ollivier.jpg	1863–1864
3	Isaac Luck	File:Isaac Luck.jpg	1865
4	Edward Bishop	File:Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg	1866
5	William Wilson	File:William Barbour Wilson.jpg	1867

Mayors of the City Council

The town council held a meeting on 10 June 1868 to elect its first mayor. In those days, councillors were elected for three-year terms, and once a year elected one of their group as mayor, i.e. the position was not elected at large (by the voting public) as is the case today.<ref name="NZETC">Template:Cite book</ref>

The following councillors attended the 10 June meeting: William Wilson, James Purvis Jameson, T. Tombs, George Ruddenklau, Henry Thomson, W. A. Sheppard, William Calvert<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and John Anderson, who chaired the meeting. Thomson moved that Wilson be elected as the first mayor of Christchurch, and Tombs seconded the motion. The chairman put the motion to the meeting and it was carried unanimously. With the meeting, the council had brought itself under the Municipal Corporations Act 1867.<ref name="NZETC" /><ref name="June 1868 mayoral election">Template:Cite news</ref>

Hence, the last chairman (William Wilson) became the first mayor in 1868. The first chairman (John Hall) became mayor 44 years later in 1906. There have been 46 holders of the position. The longest-serving was Sir Hamish Hay, who held the post for 15 years (5 terms). The shortest mayoralty was by Tommy Taylor in 1911, who died three months after being elected.<ref name="DNZB Taylor">Template:DNZB</ref> Wilson's term, at just over six months, was the second shortest. Vicki Buck and Lianne Dalziel, have been the only female mayors so far.

Initially, councillors elected one of their own as mayor towards the end of the year, and the role was usually awarded to the most senior councillor. Most elections were unanimous, and the newly elected mayor was instantly regarded as the head of the council. The system changed with the introduction of The Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act, 1875, as that legislation stipulated that mayors had to be elected at large (i.e. by eligible voters).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fred Hobbs, the incumbent, was the only candidate nominated, so he was declared elected unopposed on 17 December 1875.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> James Gapes was the first mayor elected at large on 20 December 1876.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The newly elected person was from that point the mayor-elect, until he was sworn in; Gapes was sworn in on 2 January 1877.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite this, Taylor's death in 1911 resulted in councillors electing their fellow councillor John Joseph Dougall as mayor as required by the legislation for such cases.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mayors were initially appointed and then elected for one year; elections started following the Municipal Corporations Act of 1876.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This was changed to biennial elections "on the last Wednesday in April" with the Municipal Corporations Amendment Act, 1913. The act came into force in March 1915 and thus first applied at the April 1915 mayoral election.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Municipal Corporations Act, 1933 changed the mayoral term to three years, and this commenced with the 1935 mayoral election.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Five mayors have held non-consecutive terms:

• James Gapes
• Walter Cooper
• Charles Louisson
• Charles Gray
• Robert Macfarlane

Recent mayors

Four former mayors are alive:

• Vicki Buck (1989–1998)
• Garry Moore (1998–2007)
• Bob Parker (2007–2013)
• Lianne Dalziel (2013–2022)

List of mayors

	Name	Portrait	Term
1	William Wilson	File:William Barbour Wilson.jpg	1868<ref name="June 1868 mayoral election"/>
2	John Anderson	File:John Anderson (mayor).jpg	1868–1869<ref name="1869 Anderson election">Template:Cite news</ref>
3	Andrew Duncan	File:Andrew Duncan (mayor).jpg	1869–1870<ref name="Duncan election">Template:Cite news</ref>
4	James Jameson	File:James Jameson portrait.jpg	1870–1871<ref name="Jameson election">Template:Cite news</ref>
5	Henry Sawtell	File:Henry Sawtell portrait.jpg	1871–1872
6	Edward Bishop	File:Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg	1872–1873
7	Michael Hart	File:Michael Brannan Hart portrait.jpg	1873–1874
8	Fred Hobbs	File:Fred Hobbs portrait.jpg	1875–1876
9	James Gapes	File:James Gapes portrait.jpg	1876–1877
10	Henry Thomson	File:Henry Thomson portrait.jpg	1877–1878
11	Charles Thomas Ick	File:Charles Thomas Ick portrait.jpg	1878–1880
(9)	James Gapes	File:James Gapes portrait.jpg	1880–1881
12	George Ruddenklau	File:John George Ruddenklau.jpg	1881–1883
13	Charles Hulbert	File:Charles Hulbert (Hay).jpg	1883–1885
14	Aaron Ayers	File:Aaron Ayers portrait.jpg	1885–1887<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
15	Charles Louisson	File:Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg	1887–1889<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
16	Samuel Manning	File:S Manning.jpg	1889–1890
17	Charles Gray	File:Charles Mathew Gray.jpg	1890–1891
18	William Prudhoe	File:William Prudhoe.jpg	1891–1892
19	Eden George	File:Eden George 01.jpg	1892–1893
20	Thomas Gapes	File:Thomas Gapes portrait.jpg	1893–1894
21	Walter Cooper	File:Walter Henry Cooper.jpg	1894–1895
22	Harry Beswick	File:Beswick obit.gif	1895–1896
(21)	Walter Cooper	File:Walter Henry Cooper.jpg	1896–1897<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
(15)	Charles Louisson	File:Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg	1897–1899<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
23	William Reece	File:William Reece cropped.jpg	1899–1901
24	Arthur Rhodes	File:Arthur Rhodes portrait.jpg	1901–1902
25	Henry Wigram	File:Sir Henry Wigram.jpg	1902–1904
(17)	Charles Gray	File:Charles Mathew Gray.jpg	1904–1905
26	John Hall	File:John Hall.jpg	1906–1907
27	George Payling	File:George Payling (cropped).jpg	1907–1908
28	Charles Allison	File:Charles Allison.jpg	1908–1911
29	Tommy Taylor	File:Thomas Edward Taylor crop, 1910.jpg	1911†
30	John Joseph Dougall	File:John Joseph Dougall (Hay).jpg	1911–1912
31	Henry Holland	File:Henry Holland, ca 1929.jpg	1912–1919
32	Henry Thacker	File:Henry Thacker, 1918.jpg	1919–1923
33	James Flesher	File:James Arthur Flesher, ca 1920.jpg	1923–1925
34	Rev John Archer	File:John Archer, 1935.jpg	1925–1931
35	Dan Sullivan	File:Daniel Giles Sullivan (1935).jpg	1931–1936
36	John Beanland	File:John Beanland, 1938.jpg	1936–1938
37	Robert Macfarlane	File:Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg	1938–1941
38	Ernest Andrews	File:Ernest Andrews.jpg	1941–1950
(37)	Robert Macfarlane	File:Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg	1950–1958
39	George Manning	File:George Manning, 1968.jpg	1958–1968
40	Ron Guthrey	File:Ron Guthrey, 1950.jpg	1968–1971
41	Neville Pickering	File:Neville Pickering.jpg	1971–1974
42	Hamish Hay	File:Hamish Hay, 1971.jpg	1974–1989<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
43	Vicki Buck	File:Vicki Buck.jpg	1989–1998
44	Garry Moore	File:Garry Moore, 2012.jpg	1998–2007
45	Bob Parker	File:Bob Parker KNZM (cropped).jpg	2007–2013
46	Lianne Dalziel	File:Lianne Dalziel September 2017.jpg	2013–2022
47	Phil Mauger	File:Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg	2022–present

List of deputy-mayors of Christchurch

Template:Category see also The position of deputy mayor was established in 1917.<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /> In the first meeting of the newly elected council on 7 May 1917, Alfred Williams<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was the first city councillor to be elected to the position.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Five deputy-mayors were later elected as mayors: John Beanland, James Flesher, Dan Sullivan, Ernest Andrews, and George Manning. Four deputy-mayors were mayors before they served as deputies: Henry Thacker, John Archer, Robert Macfarlane, and Vicki Buck.<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /> Since October 2022, the current deputy mayor is Pauline Cotter, who is representing the Innes ward.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Mayor		Term (mayor)	Deputy-mayor		Term (deputy)
31	Henry Holland	1912–1919	1	Alfred Williams<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1917–1919
32	Henry Thacker	1919–1923	2	John Beanland<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1919–1921
			3	James Flesher<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1921–1923
33	James Flesher	1923–1925	4	Arnaud McKellar<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /><ref name="1919 election">Template:Cite news</ref>	1923–1925
34	Rev John Archer	1925–1931	5	Charles Phipp Agar<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /><ref name="1919 election" />	1925–1927
			6	Dan Sullivan<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1927–1929
			7	Henry Thacker<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1929–1931
35	Dan Sullivan	1931–1936	8	Rev John Archer<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1931–1935
				John Beanland, 2nd time<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1935–1936
36	John Beanland	1936–1938	9	Ernest Andrews<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1936–1938
37	Robert Macfarlane	1938–1941	10	John Septimus "Jack" Barnett<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1938–1941
38	Ernest Andrews	1941–1950	11	Melville Lyons<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1941–1947
			12	James (Jim) Neil Clarke<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1947–1950
	Robert Macfarlane, 2nd time	1950–1958	13	George Manning<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1950–1958
39	George Manning	1958–1968	14	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1958–1959
			15	Harold Smith<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />Template:Sfn	1959–1971
40	Ron Guthrey	1968–1971
41	Neville Pickering	1971–1974	16	Robert Macfarlane<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1971–1974
42	Hamish Hay	1974–1989	17	Peter Skellerup<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />Template:Sfn	1974–1980
			18	Rex Lester<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />Template:Sfn	1980–1983
			19	Maurice Carter<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	1983–1989
43	Vicki Buck	1989–1998	20	Morgan Fahey<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1989–1998
44	Garry Moore	1998–2007	21	Lesley Keast<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	1998–2004
			22	Carole Evans<ref name="Chairmen and mayors" />	2005–2007
45	Bob Parker	2007–2013	23	Norm Withers<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	2008–2010
			24	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	2011–2013
46	Lianne Dalziel	2013–2022	25	Vicki Buck	2013–2016
			26	Andrew Turner	2016–2022
47	Phil Mauger	2022–present	27	Pauline Cotter	2022–present

Timeline of Mayors

<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:12 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:20 right:130 left:10 AlignBars = late DateFormat = x.y Period = from:1868 till:2025.5 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:1870 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1868

Colors =

id:Mayor value:rgb(0.2,0.6,0.8)

BarData =

 barset:Mayors

PlotData=

width:6 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till fontsize:9 color:Mayor

barset:Mayors
from:1868 till:1868 text:"William Wilson"
from:1868 till:1869 text:"John Anderson"
from:1869 till:1870 text:"Andrew Duncan"
from:1870 till:1871 text:"James Jameson"
from:1871 till:1872 text:"Henry Sawtell"
from:1872 till:1873 text:"Edward Bishop"
from:1873 till:1874 text:"Michael Hart"
from:1875 till:1876 text:"Fred Hobbs"
from:1876 till:1877 text:"James Gapes"
from:1877 till:1878 text:"Henry Thomson"
from:1878 till:1880 text:"Charles T. Ick"
from:1880 till:1881 text:"James Gapes"
from:1881 till:1883 text:"George Ruddenklau"
from:1883 till:1885 text:"Charles Hulbert"
from:1885 till:1887 text:"Aaron Ayers"
from:1887 till:1889 text:"Charles Louisson"
from:1889 till:1890 text:"Samuel Manning"
from:1890 till:1891 text:"Charles Gray"
from:1891 till:1892 text:"William Prudhoe"
from:1892 till:1893 text:"Eden George"
from:1893 till:1894 text:"Thomas Gapes"
from:1894 till:1895 text:"Walter Cooper"
from:1895 till:1896 text:"Harry Beswick"
from:1896 till:1897 text:"Walter Cooper"
from:1897 till:1899 text:"Charles Louisson"
from:1899 till:1901 text:"William Reece"
from:1901 till:1902 text:"Arthur Rhodes"
from:1902 till:1904 text:"Henry Wigram"
from:1904 till:1905 text:"Charles Gray"
from:1906 till:1907 text:"John Hall"
from:1907 till:1908 text:"George Payling"
from:1908 till:1911 text:"Charles Allison"
from:1911 till:1911.5 text:"Tommy Taylor"
from:1911.5 till:1912 text:"John J. Dougall"
from:1912 till:1919 text:"Henry Holland"
from:1919 till:1923 text:"Henry Thacker"
from:1923 till:1925 text:"James Flesher"
from:1925 till:1931 text:"Rev John Archer"
from:1931 till:1936 text:"Dan Sullivan"
from:1936 till:1938 text:"John Beanland"
from:1938 till:1941 text:"Robert Macfarlane"
from:1941 till:1950 text:"Ernest Andrews"
from:1950 till:1958 text:"Robert Macfarlane"
from:1958 till:1968 text:"George Manning"
from:1968 till:1971 text:"Ron Guthrey"
from:1971 till:1974 text:"Neville Pickering"
from:1974 till:1989 text:"Hamish Hay"
from:1989 till:1998 text:"Vicki Buck"
from:1998 till:2007 text:"Garry Moore"
from:2007 till:2013 text:"Bob Parker"
from:2013 till:2022 text:"Lianne Dalziel"
from:2022 till:end text:"Phil Mauger"

</timeline>

References

• Template:Cite book