Hamilton City Council (New Zealand) Explained

Hamilton City Council
Native Name:Te kaunihera o Kirikiriroa
Native Name Lang:mi
Coa Pic:File:Hamilton coat of arms.png
Logo Pic:File:Hamilton City Council logo.png
House Type:Unicameral
Houses:Governing Body
Jurisdiction:Hamilton, New Zealand
Term Limits:None
Leader1 Type:Mayor
Seats:15 (1 mayor, 14 ward seats)
Term Length:3 years

Hamilton City Council (Maori: Te kaunihera o Kirikiriroa) is the territorial authority for the New Zealand city of Hamilton.[1]

The council is led by the mayor of Hamilton, who is currently . There are also 14 ward councillors.

Council elections are held every three years.[2]

Composition

The council has three wards or constituencies. One Maaori ward covers the whole city and has two councillors, elected by voters on the Māori electoral roll. Two general wards, East and West, have six councillors each, elected by voters on the general electoral roll. The East and West wards cover half the city, with the boundary between the two being the Waikato River.

The current council members are:[3]

MayorPaula Southgate
Deputy MayorAngela O’Leary
Councillors – East WardAndrew Bydder
Anna Casey Cox
Mark Donovan
Tim Macindoe
Kesh Naidoo-Rauf
Maxine van Oosten
Councillors – West WardLouise Hutt
Emma Pike
Angela O’Leary
Geoff Taylor
Sarah Thomson
Ewan Wilson
Councillors – Maaori WardMelaina Huaki
Moko Tauariki

History

The current city council was formed as part of the 1989 local government reorganisation, which added parts of Waikato and Waipā counties to the previous city area.[4] The original Hamilton borough had an area of 752ha. It now covers 9860ha, which includes 2500ha of Rototuna, Rotokauri and Peacocke added in 1989, and 430ha of Temple View added on 1 July 2004.[5]

Several councils, boards and committees had preceded it –

Phillip Yeung was elected as a Councillor in the East Ward in the October 2019 election, but died while in office.[19] A by-election was held in February 2018 to replace Phillip and Councillor Ryan Hamilton was elected.[20]

In 2020, the electoral system was changed from First Past the Post to Single Transferable Vote,[21] following consultation in which 78.1% supported STV.[22]

Council offices

Hamilton Borough Council first met in Collingwood Street courthouse. In April 1878 an immigrant cottage on Victoria Street was adapted as council chambers. After 1905 it was used as an insurance office, until demolished for the Security Building in 1924.[23] [24] That building was replaced by the Novotel, which opened in 1999.[25]

On 23 March 1905 Richard Seddon opened a £3,510 town hall, with a council chamber, further south, near the Municipal Baths. It was enlarged in 1914 and demolished in 1967.

On 22 October 1932 ferro-concrete offices and a gas showroom were opened in Alma Street, bringing all the offices together, at a cost of £10,082,[26] paid for by profits from electricity supply.[27] On 2 July 1949 1XH Hamilton started broadcasting from the basement of the Alma Street offices. When the council moved in 1960, 1XH took over the whole building, then 1YW took over one of 1XH’s two studios and, in 1968, a television station also moved in. The building is protected by a District Plan heritage listing[28] and is now occupied by several businesses.[29]

In June 1960[30] the offices moved into a 4-storey building, with 2-storey wings (a library in the east wing), was opened in July 1960,[31] between Anglesea, Caro and Worley Streets[32] and a multi-storey block, built over Worley Street, added between 1980 and 1983.

External links

Photos

-37.7883°N 175.2786°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Council . hamilton.govt.nz . Hamilton City Council.
  2. Web site: 2019 Elections . hamilton.govt.nz . 3 September 2020.
  3. Web site: Mayor and Councillors . . Hamilton City Council . November 6, 2022 .
  4. Web site: 13 June 1989. NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
  5. Web site: November 2005. Proposed District Plan. Hamilton City Council.
  6. Web site: 4 September 1868. HAMILTON. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. 21 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  7. Web site: 1902. Kirikiriroa. 21 May 2021. nzetc.victoria.ac.nz.
  8. Web site: 24 October 1927. HAMILTONT'S JUBILEE. WAIKATO TIMES. 22 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  9. Web site: 8 March 1921. KIRIKIRIROA ROAD BOARD. WAIKATO TIMES. 22 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  10. Web site: 18 August 1871. HAMILTON WEST: THE NEW HIGHWAY DISTRICT. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. 22 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  11. Web site: 16 September 1871. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. 22 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  12. Web site: 30 September 1871. DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. 22 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  13. Web site: 10 February 1876. HAMILTON ADJOURNED CHURCH MEETING. WAIKATO TIMES. 20 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  14. Web site: 7 February 1878. WAIKATO TIMES. 20 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  15. Web site: 9 February 1878. ELECTION OF HAMILTON COUNCILLORS. WAIKATO TIMES. 20 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  16. Web site: 1 May 1913. MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. WAIKATO ARGUS. 21 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  17. Web site: 19 May 1916. FRANKTON AND HAMILTON. NEW ZEALAND HERALD. 21 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  18. Web site: 31 March 1917. FRANKTON BOROUGH COUNCIL. WAIKATO TIMES. 21 May 2021. paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  19. Web site: Hamilton Councillor Philip Yeung dies. Stuff. en. 29 April 2018.
  20. Web site: Ryan Hamilton elected new Hamilton councillor in by-election. Stuff. en. 29 April 2018.
  21. Web site: 6 August 2020. Hamilton City Council switches to STV system for elections. 6 August 2020. Stuff. en.
  22. Web site: 6 August 2020. Council Agenda – Electoral System Review – 2020. Hamilton City Council. 35. 7 April 2021. 28 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210728092533/https://www.hamilton.govt.nz/AgendasAndMinutes/Council%20Open%20Agenda%20-%206%20August%202020.pdf. dead.
  23. Web site: Victoria Street from Garden Place Hill . 2022-11-14 . Hamilton Libraries Heritage Collection Online . en.
  24. Web site: Victoria Street . 2022-11-14 . Hamilton Libraries Heritage Collection Online . en.
  25. Web site: Barnes . Brooke . 2018-10-24 . Novotel Tainui Hamilton 40-Room Extension Blessed . 2022-11-15 . Tainui Group Holdings . en-NZ.
  26. Web site: 2021 A Thematic Review of the History of Hamilton . HCC.
  27. Web site: 23 Feb 1933 . MUNICIPAL OFFICES. WAIKATO TIMES . 2022-11-11 . paperspast.natlib.govt.nz.
  28. Web site: 18 October 2017 . Operative District Plan . Hamilton City Council.
  29. Web site: 12 Alma St . 2022-11-15 . Google Maps . en.
  30. Web site: Municipal offices and Civic Centre development . 2022-11-15 . Hamilton Libraries Heritage Collection Online . en.
  31. Web site: The opening of the Hamilton City Council Municipal offices . 2022-11-15 . Hamilton Libraries Heritage Collection Online . en.
  32. Web site: 1974 . Hamilton; Cambridge; Huntly; Ngaruawahia; Te Awamutu: street map. . 2022-11-11 . University of Waikato.

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