View source for Mayor of Auckland

{{Short description|Head of the Auckland Council}}
{{For|the Mayor of Auckland prior to 2010|Mayor of Auckland City}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = Mayor
| body = Auckland
| insignia = 
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = 
| image = Wayne Brown 2024 (cropped).jpg
| incumbent = [[Wayne Brown (New Zealand politician)|Wayne Brown]]
| incumbentsince = 28 October 2022
| inaugural  = [[Len Brown]]
| style      = [[Your Worship|His Worship]]
| type       = Council leader 
| department = [[Auckland Council]]
| member_of = [[Auckland Council]]
| seat = [[Auckland Town Hall]]
| residence = 
| termlength = Three years, renewable
| appointer = Electorate of [[Auckland]]
| formation = 1 November 2010
| succession = 
| salary = $269,500 p.a.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/representativesbodies/electedrepresentatives/Documents/aucklandcouncilandlocalboardsdetermination2016_2017.pdf |title=Local Government Elected Members (2016/17) (Auckland Council and Local Boards) Determination 2016 |access-date=20 January 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170202004911/http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/representativesbodies/electedrepresentatives/Documents/aucklandcouncilandlocalboardsdetermination2016_2017.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2017 }}</ref>
| website = [https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/mayor-of-auckland/Pages/default.aspx Official website]
| footnotes = 
| deputy = [[Desley Simpson]]
}}
The '''mayor of Auckland''' is the elected head of local government in the [[Auckland Region]] of New Zealand's [[North Island]]; one of 67 [[Mayors in New Zealand|mayors in the country]]. The principal city of the region is [[Auckland]]. The mayor presides over the [[Auckland Council]] and is directly elected using the [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]] method.

The position has existed since 2010 when the previously existing authorities in the region were merged into one region-wide authority.

== Background ==
The position was first filled by election on 9 October 2010 for the establishment of the Auckland Council on 1 November 2010. The Council replaced seven territorial authority councils, including the [[Auckland City Council]], and also the [[Auckland Regional Council]]. Before 2010, "Mayor of Auckland" was an informal term applied to the [[Mayor of Auckland City]], head of the Auckland City Council.

Until October 2013, when new mayoral powers set out in the [[Local Government Act 2002]] Amendment Act 2012 came into effect, the Mayor of Auckland had more powers compared to other mayors in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web|title=Better Local Government Fact Sheet|url=https://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/URL/BLG-Fact-Sheet-Mayoral-Powers-November-2012.doc/$file/BLG-Fact-Sheet-Mayoral-Powers-November-2012.doc}}</ref>

==Role of mayor==
The mayor has the powers to establish their own office, create and dissolve governing body committees and appoint the chairpersons of the council's committees. The mayor chairs the governing body and may exercise a [[casting vote]] if a tie arises during a vote.<ref>{{cite web|date=28 May 2015|title=Auckland Council: Standing Orders of the Governing Body|url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/how-auckland-council-works/governing-body-wards-committees/Documents/standing-orders-governing-body.pdf}}</ref>

== History of mayoral contests ==
During the [[2010 Auckland mayoral election|first mayoral election]] for Auckland Council in 2010, outgoing [[Mayor of Manukau City]] [[Len Brown]] was elected, defeating outgoing [[Mayor of Auckland City]] [[John Banks (New Zealand politician)|John Banks]], outgoing [[Mayor of North Shore City]] [[Andrew Williams (New Zealand politician)|Andrew Williams]] and prominent Christian businessman [[Colin Craig]], amongst others. The mayoral office had a budget of $4.1 million and a staff of 18 in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Council's Maori board to cost $3.4m |first=Bernard |last=Orsman |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10705020 | work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=9 February 2011 |access-date=9 February 2011}}</ref> Brown preferred not to use the honorific "His Worship".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/aboutcouncil/representativesbodies/mayorofauckland/pages/meetthemayor.aspx |title=Meet your mayor |publisher=Auckland Council |access-date=8 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004135217/http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/aboutcouncil/representativesbodies/mayorofauckland/pages/meetthemayor.aspx |archive-date=4 October 2016 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Contenders in the [[2013 Auckland mayoral election]] included Brown, [[John Minto]]<ref>{{cite news | first=Charlotte | last=Whiteacre | url=http://www.3news.co.nz/John-Minto-for-Auckland-mayor/tabid/1607/articleID/294449/Default.aspx | work=[[Newshub|3 News]] | title=John Minto for Auckland mayor? | date=16 April 2013 | access-date=21 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109031058/http://www.3news.co.nz/John-Minto-for-Auckland-mayor/tabid/1607/articleID/294449/Default.aspx | archive-date=9 November 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> and John Palino. Brown was re-elected.

Brown announced in November 2015 that he would not contest the [[2016 Auckland mayoral election|2016 mayoral election]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/73800684/auckland-mayor-len-brown-will-not-stand-again |title=Auckland mayor Len Brown will not stand again |work=Auckland Now |date=8 November 2015 |access-date=21 September 2016}}</ref> There were 19 contenders for the position, and [[Phil Goff]] won with 49% of the vote, against Victoria Crone, John Palino, and [[Chlöe Swarbrick]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Compare the policies of Auckland's mayoral candidates |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/313320/compare-auckland's-mayoral-candidates |access-date=21 September 2016|work=[[Radio New Zealand]]|date=15 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.horizonpoll.co.nz/page/442/goff-27-ahe |title=Goff 27% ahead of nearest Mayoral rival |publisher=Horizon Research |date=14 September 2016 |access-date=21 September 2016}}</ref>

In the [[2019 Auckland mayoral election|2019 mayoral election]], Goff won re-election against 21 contenders with 49% of the vote. Other contenders who received a high share of the vote include [[John Tamihere]] (22%), Craig Lord (8%), John Hong (4%) and Ted Johnston (4%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 local electionsfinal results – Mayor, ward councillors, local board members|url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/about-auckland-council/elections/2019electiondocuments/2019-local-elections-results-mayor-council.pdf}}</ref>

In February 2022, Goff announced he would not stand in the [[2022 Auckland mayoral election|October 2022 mayoral election]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Niall |first1=Todd |last2=Jacobson |first2=Adam |title=Auckland mayoralty: Phil Goff stepping down at end of term, retiring from politics |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-government/127762042/auckland-mayoralty-phil-goff-stepping-down-at-end-of-term-retiring-from-politics |access-date=21 February 2024 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |date=14 February 2022 |language=en-NZ}}</ref> The election was won by [[Wayne Brown (New Zealand politician)|Wayne Brown]], with 45% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mayor official results |url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/elections-2022-results/Pages/results-mayor.aspx |website=Auckland Council |access-date=22 February 2024 |language=en |date=2022}}</ref>

==List of mayors==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|#
!scope="col"| Name
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Portrait
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Elections
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Entered office
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| Left office
!Deputy
|-
| 1 || [[Len Brown]] || [[File:Len Brown.jpg|60px]] ||{{hlist|[[2010 Auckland mayoral election|2010]]|[[2013 Auckland mayoral election|2013]]}} || {{dts|October 2010}} || 14 October 2016
|[[Penny Hulse]]
|-
| 2 || [[Phil Goff]] || [[File:Phil Goff 2017 (cropped).jpg|60px]] ||{{hlist|[[2016 Auckland mayoral election|2016]]|[[2019 Auckland mayoral election|2019]]}} || {{dts|15 October 2016}} || 15 October 2022
|[[Bill Cashmore (politician)|Bill Cashmore]]
|-
| 3 || [[Wayne Brown (New Zealand politician)|Wayne Brown]] || [[File:Wayne Brown 2024 (cropped).jpg|60px]]||{{hlist|[[2022 Auckland mayoral election|2022]]||[[2025 Auckland mayoral election|2025]]}} || 16 October 2022
|Incumbent
|[[Desley Simpson]]
|}

==Role of deputy mayor==
The deputy mayor is the second highest elected official in the Auckland Council. The deputy mayor acts in support of the Mayor of Auckland. It is the second highest elected position in the council. However, like the position of [[Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand|Deputy Prime Minister]], this seniority does not necessarily translate into power. They are appointed by the mayor from the elected ward councillors.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/AboutCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/auckland_council_explained/Pages/RoleoftheMayor.aspx |title=Role of the mayor |website=aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |access-date=3 January 2017}}</ref> The current deputy mayor is [[Desley Simpson]], who represents the [[Ōrākei ward]] on the Auckland Council. Simpson was selected to be deputy by incoming mayor [[Wayne Brown (New Zealand politician)|Wayne Brown]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/10/27/desley-simpson-announced-as-new-auckland-deputy-mayor/ |title=Desley Simpson announced as new Auckland deputy mayor |website=[[1News]] |date=27 October 2022 |access-date=27 October 2022}}</ref>

Beyond committees of the whole council, the deputy mayor is an ex-officio member of the following Auckland Council committees:<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/aboutcouncil/meetings_agendas/committees/pages/committeemembersandcontacts.aspx |title=Committee members and contacts |website=aucklandcouncil.govt.nz |access-date=3 January 2017}}</ref>
* Performance and Appointments Committee
* Audit and Risk Committee
* Civil Defence & Emergency Management Committee
* Community Development and Safety Committee
* Council-Controlled Organisation Direction and Oversight Committee
* Expenditure Control and Procurement Committee
* Regulatory and Safety Committee
* Auckland Domain Committee
Like any other councillor, the deputy mayor may be appointed to additional committees which the mayor wishes to appoint them to.

==List of deputy mayors ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan=2 | <span style="color:grey">Mayor</span>
! colspan=2 | Deputy mayor
!Ward represented
!Affiliation
!Assumed office
!Left office

|-
| rowspan="2" |<span style="color:grey">1</span>
| rowspan="2" |<span style="color:grey">Len Brown</span>
| rowspan="2" |1
| rowspan="2" |[[Penny Hulse]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Waitākere Ward]]
| bgcolor="lightgrey"|Independent
| rowspan="2" |1 November 2010
| rowspan="2" |8 October 2016
|-
| bgcolor="lightyellow"|West at Heart
|-
| <span style="color:grey">2</span>
| <span style="color:grey">Phil Goff</span>
|2
|[[Bill Cashmore (politician)|Bill Cashmore]]
|[[Franklin ward|Franklin Ward]]
|bgcolor="lightgrey"|Team Franklin
|1 November 2016
|8 October 2022
|-
| <span style="color:grey">3</span>
| <span style="color:grey">Wayne Brown</span>
|3
|[[Desley Simpson]]
|[[Ōrākei ward]]
|bgcolor="lightblue"|[[Communities & Residents]]
|28 October 2022
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Mayors in New Zealand}}

[[Category:Mayors of Auckland| ]]
[[Category:2010 establishments in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Auckland Council]]
[[Category:Lists of mayors of places in New Zealand|Auckland]]