Mayors in New Zealand
Mayors in New Zealand are the highest-ranking officer in a territorial authority. Mayors are now elected at large, i.e. the role is contested by public vote across a whole district or city. Historically, city or town councillors elected one of their own as mayor, or chairman. Mayors are elected during the triennial local body elections. There are currently 67 mayors.
Mayors in New Zealand are styled His/Her Worship.
Powers and responsibilities
[edit]Currently, all of New Zealand's territorial authorities are headed by a directly-elected mayor. This set up goes back to the 1989 local government reforms.[1]
When the councils surrounding Auckland were merged in 2010, a more defined set of powers for mayors in all parts of the country was implemented into the existing Local Government Act 2002.[2] Mayors now could appoint deputy mayors, as well as designate which councillors would chair and lead the various committees that ran the business of council. These new powers did raise concern though, with no mayoral veto, councils where the mayor lacked majority support could crawl to a halt as councillors pushed against the agenda of the mayor. Such dysfunctionality has reportedly occurred in several councils, including recently in Wellington and Tauranga.[3]
Mayors in New Zealand are considered weak in terms of the level of executive power they can wield, as granted to them via legislation. Mayors report that they utilise de facto powers to achieve their goals as leaders, including their ability to build relationships with their communities, other councillors, mana whenua, and central government. Achieving consensus is key to the ability of a mayor to govern.[1] The relationship between a mayor and a council's chief executive officer was reported by mayors as important in shaping and delivering policy.[4]
Councillors and mayors in New Zealand are not usually affiliated with political parties, leading to challenges with reaching consensus amongst people elected on individual-mandates. A balance must be navigated between the mandate given to the mayor from the public and the political reality of working with a team of disparate people.[4]
Legislation
[edit]The principal legislation outlining the formal and constitutional powers and responsibilities of the mayor is the Local Government Act 2002, specifically section 41A.[4]
The mayor is to provide leadership to the councillors and people of the district,[5] and to lead the development of the council's plans and policies.[6] The explicit powers granted to the mayor are the ability to appoint a deputy mayor, the ability to establish council committees and appoint chairpersons to said committees.[7] These powers are limited by councillors explicit ability to remove the deputy mayor, and to discharge and/or create committees, as well as remove any chairpersons appointed by the mayor.[8] The mayor is an ex officio member of all committees.[9] The mayor cannot delegate any of their powers.[10] If a mayor declines to use their powers to appoint a deputy or a chairperson, the provisions for their election are outlined in clause 17(1) of Schedule 7 and clauses 25 and 26(3) of Schedule 7, respectively.[11]
List of current mayors
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Mahoney 2021, p. 80.
- ^ Mahoney 2021, p. 80–81.
- ^ Mahoney 2021, p. 81.
- ^ a b c Mahoney 2021, p. 82.
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(1).
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(2)
- ^ Local Government Act 2022, s 41A(3)
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(4)
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(5)
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(6)
- ^ Local Government Act 2002, s 41A(7)
- ^ "2023 Census population counts (by ethnic group, age, and Māori descent) and dwelling counts". StatsNZ. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
Sources
[edit]
- Mahoney, Seán (25 November 2021). "Leading Locally: How New Zealand's mayors get things done". Policy Quarterly. 17 (4): 80–86. doi:10.26686/pq.v17i4.7324.
- Local Government Act 2002