Mayor of Porirua
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Mayor
| body = Porirua
| insignia = File:Porirua CoA shield+crest.svg
| insigniasize =
| insigniacaption = Porirua coat of arms
(supporters not shown)
| image = Anita Baker July 2023.jpg
| imagesize = 150px
| imagecaption =
| incumbent = Anita Baker
| incumbentsince = 2019
| inaugural = Whitford Brown
| style = Her Worship
| residence =
| termlength = Three years
| formation = 1962
| first =
| succession =
| website = [https://poriruacity.govt.nz/ Official website]
| footnotes =
| deputy = Kylie Wihapi
}}
The mayor of Porirua is the head of the municipal government of Porirua, New Zealand, and presides over the Porirua City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the single transferable vote electoral system. There have been six mayors since the establishment of the borough council in 1962: the current mayor is Anita Baker, who was elected in October 2019.
History
The locality was part the Makara County Council, abolished on 31 August 1962. The rural area became part of Hutt County, the urban area becoming Porirua Borough Council.{{cite web|title=NZ Elective Structures Since Colonisation |url=http://www.pcc.govt.nz/About-Porirua/Porirua-s-heritage/Porirua-s-natural--cultural-and-historic-heritage/Civic-History/NZ-Elective-Structures-since-colonisation |publisher=Porirua City Council |accessdate=28 October 2010 }} Elections were held in October 1962, and Whitford Brown was elected the first mayor of Porirua.{{cite web |title= Whitford James Richard Brown, CBE, OBE |url= http://www.pcc.govt.nz/About-Porirua/Porirua-s-heritage/Porirua-s-natural--cultural-and-historic-heritage/Civic-History/Former-Mayors-of-Porirua-City#brown |publisher=Porirua City Council |accessdate=28 October 2010 }} During Brown's term, Porirua achieved city status on 2 October 1965. At the time, this required having a population of at least 20,000.{{cite web|last=McLintock |first=A. H. |title=Porirua|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/porirua/1 |publisher=Te Ara |accessdate=28 October 2010 }} In the first triennium the mayor received honorarium for their duties of £750 per annum. At the first council meeting following the 1965 elections councillors voted to keep the honorarium at the same amount after the council was upgraded from a borough to a city.{{cite news |title=Mayoral Honorarium of £750 – Porirua City Council's Decision |work=Kapi-Mana News |date=27 October 1965 |volume=16 |number=49 |page=4 }}
Brown retired from the mayoralty in 1983. He was succeeded by John Burke, who had been Deputy Mayor since 1977. Burke remained mayor for 15 years (five terms) until 1998.{{cite web|title= John Brian Burke, QSO |url=http://www.pcc.govt.nz/About-Porirua/Porirua-s-heritage/Porirua-s-natural--cultural-and-historic-heritage/Civic-History/Former-Mayors-of-Porirua-City#burke |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203021826/http://pcc.govt.nz/About-Porirua/Porirua-s-heritage/Porirua-s-natural--cultural-and-historic-heritage/Civic-History/Former-Mayors-of-Porirua-City |archive-date=3 December 2013 |publisher= Porirua City Council |accessdate=28 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}
Jenny Brash was first elected mayor in 1998, succeeding Burke. She held the mayoralty for 12 years (four terms) until her retirement in October 2010.{{cite news|last=Carroll |first=Joanne |title=Wellington mayor clings to narrow lead |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10679471 |accessdate=27 October 2010|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|date=10 October 2010 |author2=Jonathan Milne }} She was a Northern Ward councillor in 1983–89 and 1995–98.{{cite web |title=Porirua farewells Jenny Brash |url=http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Theme/ModuleLayout/GetImage.aspx?imageid=2a954acd-09bf-4b4f-93b3-b3043f4ec198&downloadnow=true |publisher=Porirua City Council |accessdate=27 October 2010 |page=1 |format=PDF |date=5 October 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110718181048/http://www.pcc.govt.nz/Theme/ModuleLayout/GetImage.aspx?imageid=2a954acd-09bf-4b4f-93b3-b3043f4ec198&downloadnow=true |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}
Nick Leggett was elected mayor on 9 October 2010, defeating Deputy Mayor Litea Ah Hoi. He had been endorsed by his predecessor plus former mayor John Burke,{{cite news|title=New mayor for Porirua |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/local-elections-2010/59104/new-mayor-for-porirua |accessdate=28 October 2010 |newspaper=Radio NZ }} and was first elected as a councillor in Porirua in 1998, when he was 19 years old. Aged 31 on his election to mayor, he was at the time the youngest mayor in New Zealand.{{cite news|last=Dando |first=Kris |title=Porirua mayor-elect Nick Leggett 'humbled' by level of support |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/kapi-mana-news/4219769/Porirua-mayor-elect-Nick-Leggett-humbled-by-level-of-support |accessdate=28 October 2010 |newspaper=Kapi-Mana News }}{{cite news|last=Broun |first=Britton |title=Porirua's new mayor New Zealand's youngest |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/local-elections-2010/4217386/Poriruas-new-mayor-New-Zealands-youngest |accessdate=28 October 2010 |newspaper=Dominion Post |date=11 October 2010 }} In October 2016, Leggett was succeeded by Mike Tana.
List of mayors of Porirua
Porirua has had six mayors:
;Key
{{legend2|{{party color|Independent politician}}|Independent|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
{{legend2|{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}|Labour|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! ! # ! Name ! Portrait ! Term ! Elections |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};"|
! 1 | 75px | align=center | 1962–1983 |
|---|
| style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}};"|
! 2 | | align=center | 1983–1998 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};"|
! 3 | 75px | align=center | 1998–2010 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};"|
! 4 | 75px | align=center | 2010–2016 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};"|
! 5 | 75px | align=center | 2016–2019 | 2016 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};"|
! 6 | 75px | align=center | 2019–present |
=List of deputy mayors of Porirua=
| class="wikitable" |
| colspan=2|Name
! colspan=2|Term of office ! colspan=2|Mayor |
|---|
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Ernie Maxwell | 1962 | 1968 | rowspan=5 style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"| | rowspan=5| Brown |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Jill Nixon | 1968 | 1971 |
| style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| Tutuira Wi Neera | 1971 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Hec Stuart | 1972 | 1977 |
| style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| 1977 | 1983 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Bill Herewini | 1983 | rowspan=4 style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"| | rowspan=4|Burke |
| style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| Hec Stuart | colspan="2" | {{centre|1985†{{cite news |title=Deputy dies |work=The Evening Post |date=12 June 1985 |page=1 }}}} |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Ivan Hardgrave | 1985 | 1989 |
| height=5 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| rowspan="2" | Jasmine Underhill | rowspan="2" | 1989 |
| height=5 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| rowspan=4 style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"| | rowspan=4|Brash |
| style="background:{{party color|New Zealand Labour Party}}"|
| Kevin Watson | 2001 | 2004 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| 2004 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Litea Ah Hoi | 2007 |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Liz Kelly | 2010 | rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"| | rowspan=2| Leggett |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| 'Ana Coffey | 2013 | 2016{{cite web |url=https://www.coffeyforporirua.co.nz/who-is-ana |title=Who is 'Ana — 'Ana Coffey}} |
| height=5 style="border-bottom:solid 0 grey; background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| rowspan="2" | Izzy Ford | rowspan="2" | 2016 | rowspan="2" | 2022 | style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"| | Tana |
| height=5 style="border-top:solid 0 grey; background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| rowspan=2 style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"| | rowspan=2| Baker |
| style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}}"|
| Kylie Wihapi | 2022 |