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Mayor of Christchurch
Head of the municipal government of Christchurch
Head of the municipal government of Christchurch
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| insignia | Christchurch Coat of Arms with supporters, mantle, crest, motto.svg |
| insigniacaption | Coat of arms of Christchurch |
| post | Mayor |
| body | Christchurch |
| image | Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg |
| incumbent | Phil Mauger |
| incumbentsince | 8 October 2022 |
| department | Christchurch City Council |
| style | His Worship |
| member_of | Christchurch City Council |
| type | Council Leader |
| appointer | Electorate of Christchurch |
| termlength | Three years, renewable |
| seat | Christchurch Civic Offices |
| formation | 1868 |
| inaugural | William Wilson |
| deputy | Victoria Henstock |
| salary | $200,000 |
| website | Official Website |
The mayor of Christchurch is the elected head of local government in Christchurch, New Zealand; one of 67 mayors in the country. The mayor presides over the Christchurch City Council and is directly elected using the first-past-the-post method. The current mayor, Phil Mauger, was first elected in 2022. The current deputy mayor is Victoria Henstock.
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:
| Name | Portrait | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Hall | [[File:John Hall.jpg | 60px]] |
| 2 | John Ollivier | [[File:John Ollivier.jpg | 60px]] |
| 3 | Isaac Luck | [[File:Isaac Luck.jpg | 60px]] |
| 4 | Edward Bishop | [[File:Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg | 60px]] |
| 5 | William Wilson | [[File:William Barbour Wilson.jpg | 60px]] |
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.
The following councillors attended the 10 June meeting: William Wilson, James Purvis Jameson, T. Tombs, George Ruddenklau, Henry Thomson, W. A. Sheppard, William Calvert 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.
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. 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). Fred Hobbs, the incumbent, was the only candidate nominated, so he was declared elected unopposed on 17 December 1875. James Gapes was the first mayor elected at large on 20 December 1876. The newly elected person was from that point the mayor-elect, until he was sworn in; Gapes was sworn in on 2 January 1877. 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.
Mayors were initially appointed and then elected for one year; elections started following the Municipal Corporations Act of 1876. 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. The Municipal Corporations Act, 1933 changed the mayoral term to three years, and this commenced with the 1935 mayoral election.
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 | 60px]] |
| 2 | John Anderson | [[File:John Anderson (mayor).jpg | 60px]] |
| 3 | Andrew Duncan | [[File:Andrew Duncan (mayor).jpg | 60px]] |
| 4 | James Jameson | [[File:James Jameson portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 5 | Henry Sawtell | [[File:Henry Sawtell portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 6 | Edward Bishop | [[File:Edward Brenchley Bishop.jpg | 60px]] |
| 7 | Michael Hart | [[File:Michael Brannan Hart portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 8 | Fred Hobbs | [[File:Fred Hobbs portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 9 | James Gapes | [[File:James Gapes portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 10 | Henry Thomson | [[File:Henry Thomson portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 11 | Charles Thomas Ick | [[File:Charles Thomas Ick portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| (9) | James Gapes | [[File:James Gapes portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 12 | George Ruddenklau | [[File:John George Ruddenklau.jpg | 60px]] |
| 13 | Charles Hulbert | [[File:Charles Hulbert (Hay).jpg | 60px]] |
| 14 | Aaron Ayers | [[File:Aaron Ayers portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 15 | Charles Louisson | [[File:Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg | 60px]] |
| 16 | Samuel Manning | [[File:S Manning.jpg | 60px]] |
| 17 | Charles Gray | [[File:Charles Mathew Gray.jpg | 60px]] |
| 18 | William Prudhoe | [[File:William Prudhoe.jpg | 60px]] |
| 19 | Eden George | [[File:Eden George 01.jpg | 60px]] |
| 20 | Thomas Gapes | [[File:Thomas Gapes portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 21 | Walter Cooper | [[File:Walter Henry Cooper.jpg | 60px]] |
| 22 | Harry Beswick | [[File:Beswick obit.gif | 60px]] |
| (21) | Walter Cooper | [[File:Walter Henry Cooper.jpg | 60px]] |
| (15) | Charles Louisson | [[File:Charles Louisson, 1888.jpg | 60px]] |
| 23 | William Reece | [[File:William Reece cropped.jpg | 60px]] |
| 24 | Arthur Rhodes | [[File:Arthur Rhodes portrait.jpg | 60px]] |
| 25 | Henry Wigram | [[File:Sir Henry Wigram.jpg | 60px]] |
| (17) | Charles Gray | [[File:Charles Mathew Gray.jpg | 60px]] |
| 26 | John Hall | [[File:John Hall.jpg | 60px]] |
| 27 | George Payling | [[File:George Payling (cropped).jpg | 60px]] |
| 28 | Charles Allison | [[File:Charles Allison.jpg | 60px]] |
| 29 | Tommy Taylor | [[File:Thomas Edward Taylor crop, 1910.jpg | 60px]] |
| 30 | John Joseph Dougall | [[File:John Joseph Dougall (Hay).jpg | 60px]] |
| 31 | Henry Holland | [[File:Henry Holland, ca 1929.jpg | 60px]] |
| 32 | Henry Thacker | [[File:Henry Thacker, 1918.jpg | 60px]] |
| 33 | James Flesher | [[File:James Arthur Flesher, ca 1920.jpg | 60px]] |
| 34 | Rev John Archer | [[File:John Archer, 1935.jpg | 60px]] |
| 35 | Dan Sullivan | [[File:Daniel Giles Sullivan (1935).jpg | 60px]] |
| 36 | John Beanland | [[File:John Beanland, 1938.jpg | 60px]] |
| 37 | Robert Macfarlane | [[File:Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg | 60px]] |
| 38 | Ernest Andrews | [[File:Ernest Andrews.jpg | 60px]] |
| (37) | Robert Macfarlane | [[File:Robert Macfarlane (crop).jpg | 60px]] |
| 39 | George Manning | [[File:George Manning, 1938.jpg | 60px]] |
| 40 | Ron Guthrey | [[File:Ron Guthrey, 1950.jpg | 60px]] |
| 41 | Neville Pickering | [[File:Neville Pickering.jpg | 60px]] |
| 42 | Hamish Hay | [[File:Hamish Hay, 1971.jpg | 60px]] |
| 43 | Vicki Buck | [[File:Vicki Buck.jpg | 60px]] |
| 44 | Garry Moore | [[File:Garry Moore, 2012.jpg | 60px]] |
| 45 | Bob Parker | [[File:Bob Parker KNZM (cropped).jpg | 60px]] |
| 46 | Lianne Dalziel | [[File:Lianne Dalziel September 2017.jpg | 60px]] |
| 47 | Phil Mauger | [[File:Phil Mauger - 52750517421 (cropped).jpg | 60px]] |
List of deputy-mayors of Christchurch
The position of deputy mayor was established in 1917. In the first meeting of the newly elected council on 7 May 1917, Alfred Williams was the first city councillor to be elected to the position. 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. Since October 2025, the current deputy mayor is Victoria Henstock, who represents the Papanui ward.
| Mayor | Term (mayor) | Deputy-mayor | Term (deputy) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Henry Holland | 1912–1919 | 1 | ||||||
| 32 | Henry Thacker | 1919–1923 | 2 | ||||||
| 3 | James Flesher | 1921–1923 | |||||||
| 33 | James Flesher | 1923–1925 | 4 | ||||||
| 34 | Rev John Archer | 1925–1931 | 5 | ||||||
| 6 | Dan Sullivan | 1927–1929 | |||||||
| 7 | Henry Thacker | 1929–1931 | |||||||
| 35 | Dan Sullivan | 1931–1936 | 8 | ||||||
| John Beanland, 2nd time | 1935–1936 | ||||||||
| 36 | John Beanland | 1936–1938 | 9 | ||||||
| 37 | Robert Macfarlane | 1938–1941 | 10 | ||||||
| 38 | Ernest Andrews | 1941–1950 | 11 | ||||||
| 12 | title=Sportsman Jim | url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZTR19290110.2.25.7 | access-date=25 October 2013 | work=New Zealand Truth | date=10 January 1929 | issue=1206 | page=6}} | 1947–1950 | |
| Robert Macfarlane, 2nd time | 1950–1958 | 13 | |||||||
| 39 | George Manning | 1958–1968 | 14 | ||||||
| 15 | Harold Smith | 1959–1971 | |||||||
| 40 | Ron Guthrey | 1968–1971 | |||||||
| 41 | Neville Pickering | 1971–1974 | 16 | ||||||
| 42 | Hamish Hay | 1974–1989 | 17 | ||||||
| 18 | Hay | 1989 | p=92}} | 1980–1983 | |||||
| 19 | Maurice Carter | 1983–1989 | |||||||
| 43 | Vicki Buck | 1989–1998 | 20 | ||||||
| 44 | Garry Moore | 1998–2007 | 21 | ||||||
| 22 | Carole Evans | 2005–2007 | |||||||
| 45 | Bob Parker | 2007–2013 | 23 | ||||||
| 24 | Ngaire Button | 2011–2013 | |||||||
| 46 | Lianne Dalziel | 2013–2022 | 25 | ||||||
| 26 | Andrew Turner | 2016–2022 | |||||||
| 47 | Phil Mauger | 2022–present | 27 | ||||||
| 28 | Victoria Henstock | 2025–present |
Timeline of mayors
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"
Notes
References
References
- (13 June 2024). "How much your local council gets paid". RNZ.
- (30 October 2025). "Victoria Henstock appointed Deputy Mayor".
- "Chairmen and mayors". Christchurch City Council.
- (1903). "The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (Canterbury Provincial District)". Cyclopedia Company Limited.
- (4 September 1869). "Christchurch City Council". [[The Press]].
- (10 June 1868). "Christchurch". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- {{DNZB. Grigg. A. R.. 2t16. Taylor, Thomas Edward. 28 October 2013
- (21 October 1875). "Municipal Corporations Acts Amendment Act 1875". [[University of Auckland]].
- (3 December 1875). "Election Notices". [[The Press]].
- (18 December 1875). "Christchurch". [[The Press]].
- (8 December 1876). "To the Electors of the City of Christchurch". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (12 December 1876). "Christchurch City Council". [[The Press]].
- (21 December 1876). "Christchurch". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (3 January 1877). "City Council". [[The Press]].
- (1 August 1911). "City Council". [[The Press]].
- (6 August 1913). "Amendment Act". [[Wairarapa Daily Times]].
- "Municipal Corporations Amendment Act 1913 (4 GEO V 1913 No 62)". [[Parliamentary Counsel Office (New Zealand).
- "Municipal Corporations Act 1933 (24 GEO V 1933 No 30)". [[Parliamentary Counsel Office (New Zealand).
- (16 December 1868). "Election of Mayors". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (15 December 1869). "Local and General". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (21 December 1870). "Local and General". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (21 December 1887). "Mayoral Installations". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (20 December 1889). "Latest Locals". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (15 December 1897). "Mayoral Installations". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (20 December 1899). "Mayoral Installation". [[The Star (Christchurch).
- (8 September 2008). "Former Christchurch mayor dies". [[The New Zealand Herald]].
- (30 April 1909). "Election Notices". [[The Press]].
- (8 May 1917). "City Council". [[The Press]].
- (25 April 1919). "Election Notices". [[The Press]].
- (13 June 1945). "Mr. J. S. Barnett". [[The Evening Post (New Zealand).
- (10 January 1929). "Sportsman Jim". [[New Zealand Truth]].
- (5 August 1943). "More Candidates". [[The Evening Post (New Zealand).
- Harper, Margaret. (4 October 2013). "Christchurch Street Names A". [[Christchurch City Libraries]].
- Crean, Mike. (10 May 2011). "Maurice Carter leaves behind immense legacy". [[The Press]].
- (25 October 2007). "Withers elected as Parker's deputy". [[The Press]].
- "Ngaire Button". Local Government Online Limited.
- (25 October 2022). "Pauline Cotter appointed as Deputy Mayor".
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