Nelson City Council
Nelson City Council Te Kaunihera o Whakatū | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Brand logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Established | 1 November 1989; 36 years ago |
| Preceded by | Nelson City Council |
New session started | 17 October 2025 |
| Leadership | |
Deputy | Pete Rainey, Ind. since 29 October 2025 |
Nigel Philpott since 3 April 2023 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 13 (including mayor) |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 3 years |
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
First election | 14 October 1989 |
Last election | 11 October 2025 |
Next election | 14 October 2028 |
| Motto | |
| Palman qui meruit ferat | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| 110 Trafalgar Street | |
| Website | |
| nelson | |
Nelson City Council (abbr. NCC; Māori: Te Kaunihera o Whakatū) is the territorial authority for the city of Nelson, New Zealand. It serves as the city's local and regional government as a unitary authority.
A city council for the city was first formed in 1874. Following the 1989 reforms to local government, that city council was dissolved and the current authority established.
The governing body of the council has 11 councillors and is chaired by the mayor of Nelson (currently Nick Smith since October 2022).
History
Predecessors
Local governance of Nelson began with Nelson Province in 1853, which covered the entire upper South Island. The town of Nelson was managed by the Nelson Board of Works, constituted by the provincial council under the Nelson Improvement Act 1856. Nelson became a borough and the board of works became Nelson City Council on 30 March 1874.[2]
1989 reforms
In the 1989 local government reforms, Nelson City Council was constituted a territorial authority within the Nelson-Marlborough Region. Under the Local Government Amendment Act 1992, the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council was disestablished on 1 July 1992 and its functions taken over by Nelson City Council, Marlborough District Council and Tasman District Council, which all became unitary authorities. Nelson became constituted as "'The Nelson Region', which shall comprise the area of Nelson City".[3]
On 12 October 2013, Rachel Reese was elected as Nelson's first woman mayor after receiving 1,500 votes more than incumbent mayor Aldo Miccio.[4]
Climate emergency declaration
In 2019, the council declared climate change an emergency situation.[5]
Governing body
Mayor
One mayor is elected at-large; they chair meetings of the governing body and act as the head of local government in the city.
Current composition
The current members of the governing body of council are:[6]
| Role | Portrait | Name | Affiliation | Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor |  |
Nick Smith | Independent | Elected at-large | |
| Deputy | Pete Rainey | Independent | Central | ||
| Councillor | Matty Anderson | Independent | Central | ||
| Councillor | Lisa Austin | Independent | Central | ||
| Councillor | James Hodgson | Independent | Central | ||
| Councillor | Trudie Brand | Independent | Stoke-Tāhunanui | ||
| Councillor |  |
Mel Courtney | Independent | Stoke-Tāhunanui | |
| Councillor | .jpg) |
Sarah Kerby | Labour | Stoke-Tāhunanui | |
| Councillor | Campbell Rollo | Independent | Stoke-Tāhunanui | ||
| Councillor | Nigel Skeggs | Independent | At-large | ||
| Councillor | .jpg) |
Tim Skinner | Independent | At-large | |
| Councillor | Aaron Stallard | Independent | At-large | ||
| Councillor | Kahu Paki Paki | Independent | Māori | ||
References
- ↑ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ↑ "Nelson City Council – the origins". The Prow. 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ↑ "s 110: Constitution of regions". Local Government Amendment Act 1992. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via New Zealand Legislation.
- ↑ Tracy Neal (12 October 2013). "Rachel Reese wins Nelson mayoralty – nelson-mail". Stuff. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ↑ Bohny, Skara (16 May 2019). "Nelson declares climate emergency". Stuff. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ↑ "Contact the Mayor or a Councillor – Nelson City Council". www.nelson.govt.nz. Retrieved 11 September 2021.