The mayor of Whangārei is the elected head of local government in the Whangārei District of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 mayors in the country. The principal town of the district (and its namesake) is Whangārei. The mayor presides over the Whangārei District Council and is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method (as of 2025).
| Mayor of Whangārei | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms of Whangārei | |
 Incumbent Ken Couper | |
| Style | His/Her Worship |
| Seat | Whangārei |
| Term length | 3 years, renewable |
| Formation | 27 October 1896 |
| First holder | James Miller Killen |
| Deputy | Scott McKenzie[1] |
| Salary | $163,689[2] |
| Website | Official website |
The position has existed since 27 October 1896, when the Whangarei Borough Council was constituted.[3] Later the mayor presided over Whangarei City Council. The position has existed in its present form since 1 November 1989, following the amalgamation of Whangarei County Council, Whangarei City Council and Hikurangi Town Board.[4] The mayor is supported by a deputy mayor.[5]
List of mayors
editThe following table is a complete list of the mayors of Whangarei since the formation of Whangarei Borough in 1896.[3][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
| Name | Portrait | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Miller Killen |  | 1896–1899 |
| 2 | William Corns |  | 1899–1901 |
| (1) | James Miller Killen | | 1901–1902 |
| (2) | William Corns | | 1902–1904 |
| (1) | James Miller Killen | | 1904–1905 |
| 3 | Harry Weaver | 1905–1908 | |
| 4 | Thomas McClintock |  | 1908–1910 |
| 5 | Thomas Herbert Steadman | 1910–1914 | |
| 6 | Donald William Jack | 1914–1917 | |
| 7 | John Samuel Dent | 1917–1921 | |
| 8 | Donald Alexander McLean |  | 1921–1925 |
| 9 | James Edmund Holmes | 1925–1927 | |
| 10 | Leonard James Brake | 1927–1929 | |
| 11 | William Jones |  | 1929–1953 |
| 12 | Horace William James | 1953–1954 | |
| 13 | Les McKinnon | 1954–1956 | |
| 14 | Frank Johnson | 1956–1968 | |
| 15 | Ken Haslett | 1968–1977 | |
| 16 | Ted Elliott | 1977–1983 | |
| 17 | Joyce Ryan | 1983–1989 | |
| 18 | Stan Semenoff | 1989–1998 | |
| 19 | Craig Brown | .jpg) | 1998–2004 |
| 20 | Pamela Peters | 2004–2007 | |
| (18) | Stan Semenoff | 2007–2010 | |
| 21 | Morris Cutforth | 2010–2013 | |
| 22 | Sheryl Mai |  | 2013–2022 |
| 23 | Vince Cocurullo | .jpg) | 2022–2025 |
| 24 | Ken Couper | .jpg) | 2025–present |
Deputy mayor
editThe deputy mayor is the second highest elected official in the Whangarei District Council. The deputy mayor acts in support of the Mayor of Whangarei. 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.[13]
Beyond committees of the whole council, the deputy mayor is an ex-officio member of the following Whangarei District Council committees:[14]
- Community Development Committee
- Finance and Corporate Committee
- Infrastructure Committee
- Planning and Development Committee
The deputy mayor may be appointed to additional committees that the mayor wishes to appoint them to. The following table lists the deputy mayors since the local government reforms of 1989.
| Mayor | Deputy mayor | Term of office |
|---|---|---|
| Stan Semenoff | ||
| Craig Brown | ||
| Pamela Peters | Phil Halse | 2004–2007 |
| Stan Semenoff | Kahu Sutherland | 2007–2010 |
| Morris Cutforth | Phil Halse | 2010–2013 |
| Sheryl Mai | Sharon Morgan[15] | 2013–2019 |
| Greg Innes[16] | 2019–2022 | |
| Vince Cocurullo | Phil Halse[17] | 2022–2025 |
| Ken Couper | Scott McKenzie[1] | 2025–present |
References
edit- 1 2 "Mayor and Councillors". Whangarei District Council. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ↑ Edmunds, Susan (13 June 2024). "How much your local council gets paid". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- 1 2 "Fifty years progress". The Sun. Vol. 1, no. 249. 11 January 1928. p. 11. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "Local government amalgamation". parliament.nz. New Zealand Parliament. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ↑ "Councillors". www.wdc.govt.nz. Whangarei District Council.
- ↑ "Mayors' services". Otago Daily Times. No. 27535. 1 November 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "Jones, William". New Zealand Card Index. Auckland Council. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "James, Horace William". New Zealand Card Index. Auckland Council. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "Johnson, John Frank". New Zealand Card Index. Auckland Council. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ Barrington, Mike (24 August 2012). "Piece of city's civic history found". Northern Advocate. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "Whangarei mayors over the last 50 years". Whangarei City 50 years. Northern Advocate. December 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ Notting, Susan (17 October 2025). "Local body elections 2025: Ken Couper elected Whangārei mayor, defeating Vince Cocurullo". The New Zealand Herald. Northern Advocate. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ↑ "Role of the Mayor". www.wdc.govt.nz. Whangarei District Council. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ↑ "Council Committees". wdc.govt.nz. Whangarei District Council. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ↑ "Whangarei Mayor cements stable leadership with deputy mayor re-appointment". Scoop Regional. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ Ali, Imran (25 October 2019). "Greg Innes named new deputy mayor of Whangārei; committee chairs appointed". Northern Advocate. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ "Northland's longest serving politician named Whangārei Deputy Mayor". 16 September 2023.
