Mayor of Christchurch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Christchurch
Shield of the Christchurch coat of arms
Incumbent Phil Mauger since 8 October 2022
Style	His Worship
Seat	Christchurch Civic Offices
Term length	Three years
Inaugural holder	William Wilson
Formation	1868
Deputy	Pauline Cotter
Salary	$200,000
Website	Official Website: https://www.ccc.govt.nz/the-council/mayor-and-councillors/the-mayor/

The Mayor of Christchurch is the main leader of the city's government in Christchurch, New Zealand. This person is in charge of the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is chosen directly by the people who vote in the city. This is done using a system called First Past the Post.

The current mayor is Phil Mauger. He was chosen in the 2022 election. The person who helps the mayor is called the deputy mayor. Currently, the deputy mayor is Pauline Cotter.

Christchurch first had a leader called the chairman of the town council. In 1868, this chairman became the city's first mayor. The city councillors chose him. Since 1875, people who can vote have chosen the mayor. The first public election happened in 1876.

History of Christchurch Mayors

Early Leaders: Chairmen of the Town Council

Christchurch became a city on 31 July 1856. It was the first city in New Zealand. Before mayors, chairmen led the local government starting in 1862. Five different chairmen were in charge during these early years:

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

How Mayors Were First Chosen

On 10 June 1868, the town council met to pick its first mayor. Back then, councillors were elected for three years. Each year, they would choose one of themselves to be mayor. This meant the public did not vote for the mayor directly.

Several councillors were at the meeting. They included William Wilson and John Anderson. Anderson led the meeting. Councillor Henry Thomson suggested that Wilson should be the first mayor. Everyone agreed. This meeting followed a new law called the Municipal Corporations Act 1867.

So, William Wilson, who was the last chairman, became the first mayor in 1868. John Hall, the very first chairman, became mayor much later in 1906.

There have been 46 mayors of Christchurch. The mayor who served the longest was Sir Hamish Hay. He was mayor for 15 years, which is five terms. The shortest time a mayor served was Tommy Taylor in 1911. He passed away three months after being elected. Wilson's term was also short, just over six months. So far, Vicki Buck and Lianne Dalziel are the only women who have been mayor.

Changes in Mayoral Elections

At first, councillors chose one of their own to be mayor. This usually happened at the end of the year. Often, the oldest or most experienced councillor was chosen. Most of these choices were agreed upon by everyone. The new mayor was seen as the head of the council right away.

This system changed with a new law in 1875. This law said that mayors had to be elected by all eligible voters. Fred Hobbs was the mayor at the time. He was the only person nominated, so he became mayor without an election on 17 December 1875.

James Gapes was the first mayor chosen by public vote. This happened on 20 December 1876. From then on, the person elected was called the "mayor-elect" until they officially took office. Gapes started his term on 2 January 1877.

Mayors were first chosen for one year. Public elections began after the Municipal Corporations Act of 1876. In 1913, a new law changed this to elections every two years. These elections happened on the last Wednesday in April. This change started with the 1915 mayoral election. The Municipal Corporations Act of 1933 changed the mayor's term to three years. This began with the 1935 election.

Five mayors have served more than once, but not in a row:

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

Recent Mayors

Four former mayors are still alive today:

• 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		1868
2	John Anderson		1868–1869
3	Andrew Duncan		1869–1870
4	James Jameson		1870–1871
5	Henry Sawtell		1871–1872
6	Edward Bishop		1872–1873
7	Michael Hart		1873–1874
8	Fred Hobbs		1875–1876
9	James Gapes		1876–1877
10	Henry Thomson		1877–1878
11	Charles Thomas Ick		1878–1880
(9)	James Gapes		1880–1881
12	George Ruddenklau		1881–1883
13	Charles Hulbert		1883–1885
14	Aaron Ayers		1885–1887
15	Charles Louisson		1887–1889
16	Samuel Manning		1889–1890
17	Charles Gray		1890–1891
18	William Prudhoe		1891–1892
19	Eden George		1892–1893
20	Thomas Gapes		1893–1894
21	Walter Cooper		1894–1895
22	Harry Beswick		1895–1896
(21)	Walter Cooper		1896–1897
(15)	Charles Louisson		1897–1899
23	William Reece		1899–1901
24	Arthur Rhodes		1901–1902
25	Henry Wigram		1902–1904
(17)	Charles Gray		1904–1905
26	John Hall		1906–1907
27	George Payling		1907–1908
28	Charles Allison		1908–1911
29	Tommy Taylor		1911†
30	John Joseph Dougall		1911–1912
31	Henry Holland		1912–1919
32	Henry Thacker		1919–1923
33	James Flesher		1923–1925
34	Rev John Archer		1925–1931
35	Dan Sullivan		1931–1936
36	John Beanland		1936–1938
37	Robert Macfarlane		1938–1941
38	Ernest Andrews		1941–1950
(37)	Robert Macfarlane		1950–1958
39	George Manning		1958–1968
40	Ron Guthrey		1968–1971
41	Neville Pickering		1971–1974
42	Hamish Hay		1974–1989
43	Vicki Buck		1989–1998
44	Garry Moore		1998–2007
45	Bob Parker		2007–2013
46	Lianne Dalziel		2013–2022
47	Phil Mauger		2022–present

List of Deputy Mayors of Christchurch

The job of deputy mayor started in 1917. Alfred Williams was the first person chosen for this role. This happened at the first meeting of the new council on 7 May 1917.

Five deputy mayors later became mayors themselves:

• John Beanland
• James Flesher
• Dan Sullivan
• Ernest Andrews
• George Manning

Four deputy mayors were mayors before they served as deputies:

• Henry Thacker
• John Archer
• Robert Macfarlane
• Vicki Buck

Since October 2022, Pauline Cotter has been the current deputy mayor. She represents the Innes area of Christchurch.