Mayor of Upper Hutt explained

Post:Mayor
Body:Upper Hutt City
Insigniacaption:Coat of arms of Upper Hutt
Incumbent:Wayne Guppy
Incumbentsince:2001
Inaugural:Percy Kinsman
Style:His Worship
Termlength:Three years
Formation:1966
Website:Official website
Deputy:Hellen Swales

The Mayor of Upper Hutt is the head of the municipal government of Upper Hutt, New Zealand, and presides over the Upper Hutt City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The Upper Hutt Town Board had seven chairmen, with the role regarded as the predecessor role of mayor. The Upper Hutt Borough Council was proclaimed in 1926, and with that, the role of mayor was introduced. In 1966, Upper Hutt became a city council. The current mayor, Wayne Guppy, is the eleventh since the role was created in 1926, and he was first elected in 2001.

History

Local government in Upper Hutt commenced with the formation of a Roads Board, which was subsequently incorporated into the Hutt County Council when that body was established in 1876.[1] The road board evolved into a dependent county town board within the County Council's jurisdiction. After a change in local government legislation,[2] the Upper Hutt Town Board was proclaimed in 1908.[3] In 1965, Upper Hutt qualified as a city, and this status was officially conferred in the following year, with Upper Hutt becoming a city council. In 1973, the Hutt County Council, Rimutaka, and parts of Heretaunga Ridings were amalgamated with Upper Hutt, which thus became the second largest council by area (after Dunedin City Council). Further amalgamation happened in 1989, when Heretaunga/Pinehaven District Community Council was incorporated into Upper Hutt.

The seventh and last chairman of the town board, Angus McCurdy, was elected as the first mayor of the Upper Hutt Borough Council, which was formed in 1926.[4] Peter Robertson was chairman during the years of World War I, and mayor from 1927 to 1931, and again in 1938 until his death in 1939. He died from injuries received in a car crash, colliding with the car of the son of Councillor James Blewman.[5] [6] [7] The resulting by-election was won by Blewman, who beat John Purvis by a majority of 193 votes.[8]

Doris Nicholson was mayor from 1971 to 1977. She has been the only woman so far to hold the mayoralty. She was succeeded by Rex Kirton, who was mayor for 24 years until 2001 and by the time of his retirement from the role, he was New Zealand's longest-serving mayor at that time.[9] He was succeeded by one-term councillor Wayne Guppy, who was elected with a 6,000 vote majority and who has held the mayoralty since then.[10]

Unusual for a city in New Zealand, none of the chairmen or mayors of Upper Hutt has been a Member of Parliament.[11]

Until 2004, First Past the Post (FPP) was the electoral system used for New Zealand local elections (with few historic exceptions) including in Upper Hutt. The option of using the Single transferable vote voting system was introduced in 2004, but Upper Hutt continues to use FPP.[12] [13]

Chairmen and mayors

Upper Hutt Town Board Chairmen

The Upper Hutt Town Board had seven chairmen between 1908 and 1926.

NameTerm
aGeorge Isaac Bengealign=center 1908–1910
bJob Harrisonalign=center 1910–1912
cR. Herbert Webb[14] align=center 1912–1914
dPeter Robertsonalign=center 1914–1918
eGA Campbell align=center 1918–1920
fWilliam Greigalign=center 1920–1924
gAngus McCurdyalign=center 1924–1926

Upper Hutt Borough Council

The Upper Hutt Borough Council had eight mayors between 1926 and 1966.

NameTerm
1Angus McCurdyalign=center 1926–1927
2Peter Robertson, 2nd time[15] align=center 1927–1931
Angus McCurdy, 2nd timealign=center 1931–1938
Peter Robertson, 3rd timealign=center 1938–1939
3James Blewman[16] align=center 1939–1947
4Ed Nicolaus[17] align=center 1947–1950
5George Williamsalign=center 1950–1953
6Dick Slackealign=center 1953–1959
7Percy Kinsman[18] align=center 1959–1966

Upper Hutt City Council

The Upper Hutt City Council has had an additional four mayors since its formation in 1966. The last mayor of the borough council was also the first mayor of the city council.

NameTerm
Percy Kinsman, 2nd timealign=center 1966–1968
8George Thomas[19] align=center 1968–1971
9Doris Nicholson[20] align=center 1971–1977
10Rex Kirtonalign=center 1977–2001
11Wayne Guppyalign=center 2001–present

Notes and References

  1. Counties Act 1876
  2. Town Boards Act 1908
  3. Web site: Angus J. McCurdy. Upper Hutt City Council. 15 October 2011. 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110616114252/http://www.upperhuttcity.com/store/doc/100yrs_for_UH_Town_Board_1908-2008.pdf. 16 June 2011.
  4. Web site: History of Our City : Mayors. Upper Hutt City Council. 15 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111002012151/http://www.upperhuttcity.com/page/307/Mayors.boss. 2 October 2011. dead.
  5. News: Three Candidates. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. CXXV . 71 . 25 March 1938. 13.
  6. News: Taken to Hospital. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. CXXVI . 12 . 14 July 1938. 11.
  7. News: Untitled. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. CXXVII . 120 . 24 May 1939. 13.
  8. News: Upper Hutt Mayoralty. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. CXXVII . 136 . 12 June 1939. 11.
  9. News: Deputy mayor takes Wellington. 15 October 2011. TV One. 13 October 2001.
  10. News: Williams. Colin. Sparrow v Guppy in mayoral race. 16 October 2011. Upper Hutt Leader. 21 July 2010.
  11. Book: Wilson, James Oakley . New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 . 4 . First ed. published 1913 . 1985 . V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer . Wellington . 154283103 .
  12. Web site: STV Information. The Department of Internal Affairs. 18 October 2011.
  13. Web site: Upper Hutt City Council Election Statistics. The Department of Internal Affairs . 18 October 2011.
  14. News: Page 1 Advertisements Column 5. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. LXXXVIII . 72 . 22 September 1914. 1.
  15. News: Upper Hutt Mayoralty. 15 October 2011. Evening Post. CXIII . 86 . 12 April 1927. 10.
  16. Web site: Item in Photographs. Upper Hutt City Library. 15 October 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120331084247/http://archives.uhcc.govt.nz/assets.php/17/4890. 31 March 2012.
  17. News: McLennan. Rosemary. Council marks its Chapman years. 15 October 2011. Upper Hutt Leader. 2 December 2009.
  18. Web site: History. Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club Brass Band. 15 October 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425070840/http://www.uhccbb.wellington.net.nz/history.html. 25 April 2012.
  19. Web site: Mayor George Thomas and Mrs Maureen Thomas. Upper Hutt City Libraries. 15 October 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015102243/http://archives.uhcc.govt.nz/assets.php/17/5169. 15 October 2008.
  20. Web site: Mayor Doris Nicholson cutting the cake celebrating the 4th birthday of Upper Hutt City, 1970. Upper Hutt City Libraries. 15 October 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015041324/http://archives.uhcc.govt.nz/assets.php/17/6116. 15 October 2008.