Mayor of Auckland

The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amalgamation of various territorial authorities. The mayor is supported by a deputy mayor.

For the Mayor of Auckland prior to 2010, see Mayor of Auckland City.

Mayor of Auckland
Incumbent
Wayne Brown
since 28 October 2022
Auckland Council
StyleHis Worship
Member ofAuckland Council
SeatAuckland Town Hall
AppointerElectorate of Auckland
Term lengthThree years, renewable
Inaugural holderLen Brown
Formation1 November 2010
DeputyDesley Simpson
Salary$269,500 p.a.[1]
WebsiteOfficial website

Background

The position was first filled by election on 9 October 2010 for the establishment of the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. The Council replaced seven territorial authority councils, including the Auckland City Council, and also the Auckland Regional Council. Before 2010, "Mayor of Auckland" was an informal term applied to the Mayor of Auckland City, head of the Auckland City Council.

Until October 2013, when new mayoral powers set out in the Local Government Act 2002 Amendment Act 2012 came into effect, the Mayor of Auckland had more powers compared to other mayors in New Zealand.[2]

Role of mayor

The mayor has the powers to establish their own office, create and dissolve governing body committees and appoint the chairpersons of the council's committees. The mayor chairs the governing body and may exercise a casting vote if a tie arises during a vote.[3]

History of mayoral contests

In the first mayoral election for Auckland Council in 2010, outgoing Mayor of Manukau City Len Brown was elected, defeating outgoing Mayor of Auckland City John Banks, outgoing Mayor of North Shore City Andrew Williams and prominent Christian businessman Colin Craig, amongst others. The mayoral office had a budget of $4.1 million and a staff of 18 in 2011.[4] Brown preferred not to use the honorific "His Worship".[5]

Contenders in the 2013 Auckland mayoral election included Brown, John Minto[6] and John Palino. Brown was re-elected.

Brown announced in November 2015 that he would not contest the 2016 mayoralty election.[7] There were 19 contenders for the position, and Phil Goff won against Victoria Crone, John Palino, and Chlöe Swarbrick.[8][9]

In the 2019 mayoral election, Goff won re-election against 21 contenders with 49% of the vote. Other contenders who received a high share of the vote include John Tamihere (22%), Craig Lord (8%), John Hong (4%) and Ted Johnston (4%).[10]

List of mayors
# Name Portrait Elections Entered office Left office Deputy
1Len Brown
1 November 20108 October 2016 Penny Hulse
2Phil Goff
1 November 20168 October 2022 Bill Cashmore
3Wayne Brown
28 October 2022 Desley Simpson

Role of deputy mayor

The deputy mayor is the second highest elected official in the Auckland Council. The deputy mayor acts in support of the Mayor of Auckland. It is the second highest elected position in the council. However, like the position of Deputy Prime Minister, this seniority does not necessarily translate into power. They are appointed by the mayor from the elected ward councillors.[11] The current deputy mayor is Desley Simpson, who represents the Ōrākei ward on the Auckland Council. Simpson was selected to be deputy by incoming mayor Wayne Brown.[12]

Beyond committees of the whole council, the deputy mayor is an ex-officio member of the following Auckland Council committees:[13]

  • Performance and Appointments Committee
  • Audit and Risk Committee
  • Civil Defence & Emergency Management Committee
  • Community Development and Safety Committee
  • Council-Controlled Organisation Direction and Oversight Committee
  • Expenditure Control and Procurement Committee
  • Regulatory and Safety Committee
  • Auckland Domain Committee

Like any other councillor, the deputy mayor may be appointed to additional committees which the mayor wishes to appoint them to.

List of deputy mayors
Mayor Deputy mayor Ward represented Affiliation Assumed office Left office
1 Len Brown 1 Penny Hulse Waitākere Ward Independent 1 November 2010 8 October 2016
West at Heart
2 Phil Goff 2 Bill Cashmore Franklin Ward Team Franklin 1 November 2016 8 October 2022
3 Wayne Brown 3 Desley Simpson Ōrākei ward Communities & Residents 28 October 2022

References
  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Better Local Government Fact Sheet".
  3. "Auckland Council: Standing Orders of the Governing Body" (PDF). 28 May 2015.
  4. Orsman, Bernard (9 February 2011). "Council's Maori board to cost $3.4m". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  5. "Meet your mayor". Auckland Council. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  6. Whiteacre, Charlotte (16 April 2013). "John Minto for Auckland mayor?". 3 News. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  7. "Auckland mayor Len Brown will not stand again". Auckland Now. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  8. "Compare the policies of Auckland's mayoral candidates". Radio New Zealand. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  9. "Goff 27% ahead of nearest Mayoral rival". Horizon Research. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  10. "2019 local electionsfinal results – Mayor, ward councillors, local board members" (PDF).
  11. "Role of the mayor". aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. "Desley Simpson announced as new Auckland deputy mayor". 1 News. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  13. "Committee members and contacts". aucklandcouncil.govt.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
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