kids encyclopedia robot

Mayor of Tauranga facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mayor of Tauranga
Tauranga City Council coat of arms.png
Coat of arms of Tauranga
Mahe Drysdale 20.2.2010 NZ Rowing Champs (117)h.JPG
Incumbent
n/a
since 2 August 2024
Style His/Her Worship
Seat Tauranga
Term length 3 years, renewable
Formation 1882
First holder George Vesey Stewart
Deputy Jen Scoular
Salary $172,918
Website Official website: https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/council/about-your-council/mayor-and-councillors

The mayor of Tauranga is the main leader of the local government in Tauranga, which is New Zealand's fifth-largest city. The mayor works with the Tauranga City Council to make decisions for the city. People directly vote for the mayor using a special system called single transferable vote. The current mayor is Mahé Drysdale, who was chosen in the 2024 Tauranga local elections. He started his job on August 2, 2024.

Tauranga's Mayoral History

Tauranga became a small town, known as a 'borough', in 1882. It grew bigger and was officially called a 'city' in 1963. In 1989, there were some big changes to local government. Tauranga became part of a larger 'district'. Later, in 2004, it was once again named the City of Tauranga.

How Mayors Are Elected

From 1882 until 1915, elections for mayor happened every year. Then, the mayor's term changed to two years. Since 1935, mayors have served for three years, which is still the system today. For a long time, the election used a method called first-past-the-post voting. This means the person with the most votes wins. However, for the 2016 election, they switched to the single transferable vote system. This system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

Notable Mayors and Challenges

One of Tauranga's mayors who served for a long time was Canon Charles Jordan. He was mayor for nine years in total, across five different times. There's even a statue of him in Tauranga Domain, which was put up in 1916, a few years after he passed away.

More recently, Tenby Powell became mayor in October 2019. He resigned in November 2020 after facing some difficulties with the council. Because of these challenges, the Minister of Local Government decided to appoint a special group, called a Crown commission, to manage the city instead of holding a new election. This decision, made on February 9, 2021, caused some discussion. However, the council and mayor were brought back after new elections in 2024. Mahé Drysdale was then elected as the new mayor.

Images for kids

  • Mayor George Vesey Stewart (cropped)

    George Vesey Stewart, Tauranga's first mayor

  • Mayor Richard Coles Jordan (cropped)

    Richard Coles Jordan

  • Mayor Thomas Wrigley (cropped)

    Thomas Wrigley

  • Mayor Charles Jordan ca 1886 (cropped)

    Charles Jordan

  • Mayor David Lundon (cropped)

    David Lundon

  • Mayor James Bodell (cropped)

    James Bodell

  • Mayor Robert Sharpe Galbraith (cropped)

    Robert Sharpe Galbraith

  • Mayor Richard John Gill (cropped)

    Richard John Gill

  • Mayor Charles Angus Clarke (cropped)

    Charles Angus Clarke

  • Mayor Gerard Arnold Ward (cropped)

    Gerard Arnold Ward

  • Mayor James Weir Gray (cropped)

    James Weir Gray

  • Mayor William McKenzie Commons (cropped)

    William McKenzie Commons

  • Mayor John Bull (cropped)

    John Bull

  • Mayor Benjamin Conrad Robbins (cropped)

    Benjamin Robbins

  • Mayor Charles Macmillan (cropped)

    Charles Macmillan

  • Mayor John Cuthbert Adams (cropped)

    John Cuthbert Adams

  • Mayor Bradshaw Dive (cropped)

    Bradshaw Dive

  • Mayor Alfred Francis Daly Tunks (cropped)

    Alfred Francis Daly Tunks

  • Bill Barnard (cropped)

    Bill Barnard

  • Stuart Crosby (cropped)

    Stuart Crosby

  • Greg Brownless (cropped)

    Greg Brownless

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Mayor of Tauranga Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.