Porirua City Council
Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox legislature
The Porirua City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Porirua, New Zealand.
The council is made up of a mayor elected at-large and 10 councillors elected from two general wards (Onepoto General Ward and Pāuatahanui General Ward) and one Māori ward (Parirua Māori Ward).<ref name="council">Template:Cite web</ref> They are elected using a single transferable vote system in triennial elections, with the most recent election being held in 2025.
The current mayor is Template:NZ officeholder data.
History
Local government in the Porirua basin began on 1 June 1854 with the Porirua Road Board being declared in the Wellington Provincial Council Gazette.<ref name="pcc-history">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Road boards were set up by the provincial governments to develop and maintain local and district roads.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The first election for the Porirua Road District, held under the District Highways Act 1856, took place on 20 September 1856. On 7 November 1864, the Takapu Road District was declared and wardens for the district were elected annually. The Wellington Highway District Board (Hutt County) was given control of the district in 1872.<ref name="pcc-history"/>
In 1876, Makara and Porirua ridings were made part of the Karori-Makara Highway Board and elections were conducted.<ref name="pcc-history"/> Later that year, Porirua was established as one of six ridings making up Hutt County, which in turn was established by the Counties Act 1876 as one of 12 counties which would replace the Wellington Province.<ref name="wcc-archive">Template:Cite web</ref> It elected 2 councillors to the Hutt County Council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1908, Makara County, an amalgamation of the Porirua riding with the Makara riding and Tawa, was separated from Hutt County.<ref name="wcc-archive"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The first elections for Makara County were held on 28 January 1908.<ref name="pcc-history"/>
Following the construction of a new business district on the site of the village of Porirua beginning in the 1950s,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the autonomous Borough of Porirua was established on 1 September 1962, the day after Makara County was abolished.<ref name="pcc-history"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The rest of what had been the Makara County was re-incorporated into Hutt County as the Makara Riding.<ref name="wcc-archive"/> Tawa had already separated from the county to form its own Town Board in 1951.<ref name="pcc-history"/>
Porirua was declared to be a city in 1965 by Governor-general Sir Bernard Fergusson.<ref name="pcc-history"/><ref name="ENZ1966">Template:Cite web</ref>
On 1 April 1973, the city of Porirua was expanded to include large areas to the north-east and some to the south, transferred from Hutt County, along with Mana Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1988, it was further expanded to include the Horokiri riding, which contained most of Whitby and large rural areas, before Hutt County was abolished in the 1989 local government reforms, which transferred to Wellington City most of the southern fringe areas that had been added in 1973 – notably the Takapu Valley and Arohata.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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Council and committees
The elected mayor and councillors provide governance for the city by setting the policy direction of the council, monitoring its performance, representing the city's interests, and employing the Chief Executive.
The Chief Executive is in charge of the administration of the council and employs all other council staff to achieve its strategic priorities.<ref name="governance">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LGS2023">Template:Cite web</ref> The Chief Executive is currently Wendy Walker.<ref name="executive"/>
Current councillors
| Position | Name | Ward | Affiliation (if any) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Anita Baker | At-large | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Kylie Wihapi | Parirua Māori ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Mike Duncan | Onepoto general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Geoff Hayward | Onepoto general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Labour |
| Councillor | Hemi Fermanis | Onepoto general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Kathleen Filo | Onepoto general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Izzy Ford | Onepoto general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Josh Trlin | Pāuatahanui general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Labour |
| Councillor | Ross Leggett | Pāuatahanui general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Nathan Waddle | Pāuatahanui general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| Councillor | Moira Lawler | Pāuatahanui general ward | bgcolor="Template:Party color" | | Independent |
Committees
| Committee | Chairperson | Deputy Chairperson | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Council Template:Lang |
Mayor Anita Baker | Deputy Mayor Kylie Wihapi |
|
| Template:Lang | Cr Ross Leggett | Cr Josh Trlin |
|
| Audit and Risk Committee Template:Lang |
Warren AllenTemplate:Efn | Cr Nathan Waddle |
|
| Chief Executive’s Employment Committee Template:Lang |
Cr Mike Duncan | Mayor Anita Baker |
|
| Dog Control Hearings Subcommittee Template:Lang |
Mayor Anita Baker |
| |
| Porirua District Licensing Committee Template:Lang |
Cr Kylie Wihapi | Cr Mike Duncan |
|
Wards
The 10 councillors are elected from three wards: Onepoto General Ward, Pāuatahanui General Ward, and Parirua Māori Ward.
Candidates standing in the general wards are elected by voters registered on the general electoral roll, while those standing in the Māori ward are elected by voters registered on the Māori electoral roll.<ref name="wards">Template:Cite web</ref>
Parirua Māori Ward
The Parirua Māori Ward elects 1 councillor and covers the whole city of Porirua.
The Parirua Māori Ward was established following a council vote in May 2021, a representation review and an appeal to the Local Government Commission which upheld its establishment.<ref name="wards"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Onepoto General Ward
The Onepoto General Ward elects 5 councillors and covers:<ref name="wards"/><ref name="general">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Columns-list
Pāuatahanui General Ward
The Pāuatahanui General Ward elects 4 councillors and covers:<ref name="wards"/><ref name="general"/> Template:Columns-list
Coat of arms
Porirua City was granted a Coat of Arms by the Earl Marshal of England on 1 December 1965. The city officially adopted the coat of arms via a bylaw on 27 November 1969.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable councillors
- Whitford Brown, the first Mayor of Porirua
- Ken Douglas, trade union leader
- Ken Gray, All Black
- Gary McCormick, poet, radio and television personality
- Helen Smith, first member of the Values Party to be elected to local government
- Rex Willing
See also
- Territorial authorities bordering Porirua City Council:
- Greater Wellington Regional Council – the regional council covering Porirua
References
External links
Template:Territorial Authorities of New Zealand Template:Porirua