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 the main leader of the city government in Nelson, New Zealand. This person leads the Nelson City Council, which makes decisions for the city. People in Nelson vote directly for their mayor using a special system called single transferable vote. The current mayor is Nick Smith, who was chosen in September 2022.

Understanding the Mayor's Role

The Mayor of Nelson is like the chief executive officer of the city. They lead the Nelson City Council meetings and help guide the city's future. Mayors are elected by the people of Nelson for a term of three years.

A Look Back: History of Nelson's Mayors

Early Years: 1874–1899

The first Mayor of Nelson was Joseph Dodson, elected on May 1, 1874. He was chosen by the city councillors. Dodson had a strong interest in Nelson's well-being.

Soon after, the new council faced big money problems with the local government. Nelson went bankrupt, and Mayor Dodson resigned in January 1875. Many councillors also left their jobs.

It took a while, but Joseph Levien became the new mayor in February 1875. He helped fix the city's money problems by setting up good systems and hiring skilled staff. Sadly, Levien passed away in June 1876 after a short time in office.

Edward Everett became the third mayor. He was elected without anyone running against him in June 1876. He resigned in September 1877 to travel. William Reid Waters then served briefly. Later, Joseph Dodson was elected mayor for a second time in December 1877.

Dodson retired in 1881, and Edward Everett was elected mayor again until 1882.

Charles Fell served as mayor for five years until 1887. He was a painter and cared deeply about the city.

John Sharp took over from Fell. Sharp had also been a Member of Parliament for the Nelson area.

Francis Trask was mayor for nine years, from 1890 to 1899. During his time, a famous road called Rocks Road was built along the coast. Also, the beautiful Queens Gardens were created.

Mayors in the 20th Century: 1899–1998

After Trask, Joseph Auty Harley became mayor in December 1899. He was followed by Henry Baigent, who served from 1901 to 1904 and again from 1905 to 1906.

Jesse Piper was mayor from 1904 to 1905. He lost to Baigent in 1905 but won again in 1906. 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. Harley did not run in 1917, and William Snodgrass was elected.

William Lock was re-elected mayor in 1921, taking over from Snodgrass. Lock stayed mayor until 1927, when Walter Moffatt took office. Moffatt retired in 1935 due to health issues, and George Page was elected. In the early 1940s, Page also had health problems, and his deputy, Edgar Neale, stepped in as mayor in 1941.

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

Joseph Auty Harley was mayor from 1947 to 1956. He was followed by Stanley Russell, who served from 1956 to 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 served four terms as mayor, from 1980 to 1992. He had been a councillor under McLennan before becoming mayor.

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

Recent Mayors: 1998 to Present

Paul Matheson became mayor in 1998, after trying for the role before. He served three terms as mayor. Later, he returned to the council as a councillor and even served as deputy mayor for two terms.

Matheson was followed by Kerry Marshall, who had been a mayor in other areas. Marshall served one term from 2007 to 2010.

Aldo Miccio won the mayoralty in 2010. In 2013, Rachel Reese made history by becoming Nelson's first woman mayor. She had been Deputy Mayor for Kerry Marshall. Her deputy mayor from 2013 to 2019 was former Mayor Paul Matheson. In 2019, Reese appointed Judene Edgar as deputy mayor, which was the first time Nelson had both a woman mayor and a woman deputy mayor.

List of Mayors

Here is a list of all the mayors of Nelson since the first Nelson City Council meeting in April 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 when the Mayor is not available. Here is a list of Nelson's Deputy Mayors.