Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Nelson
Coat of arms of the City of Nelson
Incumbent Nick Smith since 2022
Style	His/Her Worship
Seat	Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Term length	Three years
Inaugural holder	Joseph Dodson
Formation	1874
Deputy	Rohan O'Neill-Stevens
Salary	$149,909
Website	Official website: http://www.nelson.govt.nz/council/mayor-councillors/contact-the-mayor-or-councillor/nick-smith-mayor-of-nelson/

The mayor of Nelson is like the main leader of the city of Nelson, New Zealand. This person is in charge of the city's government, called the Nelson City Council. The mayor is chosen by the people of Nelson through a special voting system. The current mayor is Nick Smith, who was elected in September 2022.

Who Are Nelson's Mayors?

Early Mayors: 1874–1899

The very first mayor of Nelson was Joseph Dodson. He was chosen on May 1, 1874, by the city councillors. Everyone agreed he was a good choice. People said he cared a lot about Nelson and was a fair person.

Soon after, the new council had problems with money. Nelson faced a financial crisis, and Mayor Dodson resigned. Many councillors also left their jobs. It took a while, but Joseph Levien became the new mayor in February 1875. He helped fix the money problems by setting up good systems and hiring skilled people. Sadly, Levien passed away after a short time in office.

After Levien, Edward Everett became mayor. He resigned to travel to England. Then, William Reid Waters took over for a short time. Later, Joseph Dodson was elected mayor again for a second time. Edward Everett also served a second term as mayor.

Charles Fell was mayor for five years until 1887. He was a painter. After him, John Sharp became mayor. Sharp had also been a member of Parliament for Nelson.

One of the longest-serving early mayors was Francis Trask. He was mayor for nine years, from 1890 to 1899. During his time, a road called Rocks Road was built along the coast. Also, the beautiful Queens Gardens were created.

Mayors Through the 20th Century: 1899–1998

After Francis Trask, Joseph Auty Harley became mayor in 1899. He was followed by Henry Baigent, who served two terms.

Jesse Piper was mayor for a year, then lost to Baigent, but won again later. In 1910, Thomas Pettit won the election against Piper.

Thomas Field was mayor from 1911 to 1913. He later became a Member of Parliament for Nelson.

William Lock became mayor in 1913 after a close election. He lost in 1915 to Charles Harley. Then, William Snodgrass was elected mayor in 1917. William Lock was re-elected in 1921 and stayed mayor until 1927.

Walter Moffatt took over in 1927 and retired in 1935 due to health issues. George Page was elected next. In the early 1940s, Page also had health problems, and his deputy, Edgar Neale, stepped in.

Edgar Neale was mayor from 1941 to 1947. He resigned when he became a Member of Parliament for Nelson.

Joseph Auty Harley (a different person from the earlier mayor with the same name) was mayor from 1947 to 1956. He was followed by Stanley Russell, who served until 1962.

Douglas Strawbridge was mayor from 1962 to 1968. Then, Trevor Horne served one term from 1968 to 1971.

Roy McLennan, who worked in civil engineering, became mayor from 1971 to 1980.

After McLennan, Peter Malone became mayor. He had been a councillor before and served four terms as mayor, from 1980 to 1992.

Then, Philip Woollaston, a former Member of Parliament, served as mayor from 1992 to 1998.

Recent Mayors: 1998 to Present

Paul Matheson became mayor in 1998, after trying once before. He served three terms. Later, he became a councillor again and even served as deputy mayor twice.

Kerry Marshall succeeded Matheson in 2007 and served one term. He had been a mayor in other areas before.

In 2010, Aldo Miccio won the mayoralty. Then, in 2013, Rachel Reese made history by becoming Nelson's first woman mayor! She had been a councillor and deputy mayor before. For a time, Nelson had both a woman mayor and a woman deputy mayor, Judene Edgar.

List of Mayors

Here is a list of all the mayors of Nelson since the city council started in 1874.

	Name	Portrait	Term	Notes
1	Joseph Dodson		1874–1875
2	Joseph Levien		1875–1876
3	Edward Everett		1876–1877
4	William Waters		1877
	Joseph Dodson		1877–1881	2nd period
	Edward Everett		1881–1882	2nd period
5	Charles Yates Fell		1882–1887
6	John Sharp		1887–1890
7	Francis Trask		1890–1899
8	Joseph Auty Harley		1899–1901
9	Henry Baigent		1901–1904
10	Jesse Piper		1904–1905
	Henry Baigent		1905–1906	2nd period
	Jesse Piper		1906–1910	2nd period
11	Thomas Pettit		1910–1911
12	Thomas Field		1911–1913
13	William Lock		1913–1915
14	Charles Harley		1915–1917
15	William Snodgrass		1917–1921
	William Lock		1921–1927	2nd period
16	Walter Moffatt		1927–1935
17	George Page		1935–1941
18	Edgar Neale		1941–1947
19	Joseph Auty Harley		1947–1956
20	Stanley Russell		1956–1962
21	Douglas Strawbridge		1962–1968
22	Trevor Horne		1968–1971
23	Roy McLennan		1971–1980
24	Peter Malone		1980–1992
25	Philip Woollaston		1992–1998
26	Paul Matheson		1998–2007
27	Kerry Marshall		2007–2010
28	Aldo Miccio		2010–2013
29	Rachel Reese		2013–2022
30	Nick Smith		2022–present

List of Deputy Mayors

The deputy mayor helps the mayor and steps in if the mayor is away. Here's a list of Nelson's deputy mayors.