Mayor of Hastings, New Zealand

Mayor of Hastings
Te Koromatua o Heretaunga
Coat of arms of Hastings
Incumbent
Wendy Schollum
since 17 October 2025
StyleHis/Her Worship
SeatHastings
Term length3 years, renewable
Formation1886
First holderRobert Wellwood
DeputyMichael Fowler[1]
Salary$160,955[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

The mayor of Hastings is the elected head of local government in the Hastings District of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 mayors in the country. The principal town of the district (and its namesake) is Hastings. The mayor presides over the Hastings District Council and is directly elected using the first-past-the-post method.

The first mayor was Robert Wellwood, and the current mayor is Wendy Schollum, first elected in the 2025 election.

List of mayors

No. Affiliation Mayor Portrait Term
1 Independent Robert Wellwood
(1836–1927)		 1886–1887
2 Independent George Ellis
(1837–1928)		 1887–1890
3 Independent William Fletcher Burnett
(1848–1893)		 1890–1891
(2) Independent George Ellis
(1837–1928)		 1891–1894
4 Independent Cecil Fitzroy
(1844–1917)		 1894–1899
5 Independent William Dennett
(1845–1928)		 1899–1904
6 Independent William Lane 1904–1905
(5) Independent William Dennett
(1845–1928)		 1905–1906
7 Independent Thomas Thompson
(1855–1938)		 1906–1909
8 Independent John Miller
(1869–1940)		 1909–1911
9 Independent James Garnett
(1856–1913)		 1911–1913[a]
10 Independent William Hart
(1863–1939)		 1913–1917
11 Independent Horace Simson
(1874–1954)		 1917–1919
12 Independent George Ebbett
(1872–1954)		 1919–1921
(10) Independent William Hart
(1863–1939)		 1921–1922[b]
13 Independent George Maddison
(1887–1949)		 1922–1929
14 Independent George Roach
(1866–1934)		 1929
– Position vacant (November 1929)[c]
(14) Independent George Roach
(1866–1934)		 1929–1933[d]
(13) Independent George Maddison
(1887–1949)		 1933–1941
15 Citizens Algernon Rainbow
(1885–1969)		 1941–1947
16 Citizens Robert Douglas Brown
(1901–1963)		 1947–1953
17 Ed Bate
(1901–1999)		 1953–1959
18 Ron Giorgi
(1907–1997)		 1959–1974
19 Jim O'Connor
(1936–2000)		 1974–1986
20 Independent Jeremy Dwyer
(1947–2005)		 1986–2001
21 Independent Lawrence Yule
(b. 1963)		 2001–2017
22 Independent Sandra Hazlehurst
(b. 1959)		 2017–2025
23 Independent Wendy Schollum 2025–present

List of deputy mayors

† Died in office

Name Term Mayor
J. Nelson Williams October–November 1894[7][8][9] Fitzroy
W. Beilby September–December 1899[10][11][12]
George Ellis January–February 1907[13][14] Thompson
A. A. George fl.1908[15][16]
W. H. Smith 1909–c. 1910[17][18] Miller
Thomas Styles c. 1910–1921[19][20]
Miller?
Garnett
Hart
Simson
Ebbett
D. E. Davis 1921–1922[21][22] Hart
George Maddison 1922[22][23]
T. Clarkson 1922–1923[23][24] Maddison
F. W. Cook 1923–1925[25][26]
Matthew Johnson 1925–1927[†][27][28]
S. J. McKee (acting)[e] 1927–1929[29][30]
Robert Henderson 1929–1933[5][31] Roach
Vacant[c]
Roach
Algernon Rainbow 1933–1941[32][33] Maddison
S. Ashcroft 1941–1946[34] Rainbow
Brown
Alexander Kirkpatrick 1946–1962[34][35][36] Brown
Bate
Giorgi
J. K. Agnew fl.1962–1968[37][36] Giorgi
Unknown c. 1968–c. 1971
E. J. Velvin fl.1971[36]
Unknown c. 1971–c. 1974
J. C. Mackersey fl.1974[36] Connor
Unknown c. 1974–1989 –
Selwyn John Begley 1989–1992[38] Dwyer
Unknown 1992–c. 1994
Harry Romanes fl.1994[39]
Unknown c. 1994–2001
Cynthia Bowers 2001–2016[40] Yule
Sandra Hazlehurst 2016–2017[41][42]
Simon Nixon (acting) 2017[43] Hazlehurst (acting)
Tania Kerr 2017–2025[44][45] Hazlehurst
Michael Fowler 2025–present[1] Schollum

Elections

Hastings Borough Council

Annual

  • 1886
  • 1887
  • 1888
  • 1889
  • 1890
  • 1891
  • 1892
  • 1893
  • 1894
  • 1895
  • 1896
  • 1897
  • 1898
  • 1899
  • 1900
  • 1901
  • 1902
  • 1903
  • 1904
  • 1905
  • 1906
  • 1907

Biennial

  • 1909
  • 1911
  • 1913
  • 1915
  • 1917
  • 1919
  • 1921
  • 1923
  • 1925
  • 1927
  • 1929
  • 1931[f]
  • 1933
  • 1935

Triennial

  • 1938
  • 1941
  • 1944
  • 1947
  • 1950
  • 1953

Hastings City Council

  • 1956
  • 1959
  • 1962
  • 1965
  • 1968
  • 1971
  • 1974
  • 1977
  • 1980
  • 1983
  • 1986

Hastings District Council

Notes

  1. ↑ Died May 1913[3]
  2. ↑ Resigned in 1922 due to poor health.[4]
  3. 1 2 Mayor George Roach was briefly suspended from the mayoralty for breaching the Municipal Corporations Act 1928. During this time, there was no mayor, and the deputy mayor, Robert Henderson, carried out the duties of the mayoral office.[5] Roach was reinstalled as mayor less than a month later after being re-elected without opposition.[6]
  4. ↑ The 1931 elections were not held in Napier and Hastings due to the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.
  5. ↑ Johnson passed his deputy-mayoral duties to McKee due to a bout of illness. McKee was to act until Johnson was fit enough to return. Johnson did not formally return to the position and died in 1929.
  6. ↑ Election cancelled due to 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake

References

  • From Swamp to City: A History of Hastings, New Zealand. Hastings: Heretaunga Intermediate School. 1961. pp. 103–106.
  1. 1 2 Hamilton-Irvine, Gary (20 October 2025). "Local elections 2025: Deputy mayors chosen for Napier, Hastings, Wairoa; final regional councillor elected". The New Zealand Herald. Hawke's Bay Today. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Edmunds, Susan (13 June 2024). "How much your local council gets paid". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Death of Hastings' Mayor". Hawke's Bay Tribune. 14 May 1913. p. 3.
  4. ↑ "Hastings Mayoralty". Hawke's Bay Tribune. 22 December 1922. p. 3.
  5. 1 2 "Without a Mayor". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XIX, no. 279. 9 November 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Hastings Mayoralty". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XIX, no. 292. 25 November 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXIX, no. 9809. 12 October 1894. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Hastings S.M. Court". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXIX, no. 9846. 24 November 1894. p. 4. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". The Daily Telegraph. No. 7230. 30 November 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 23 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". The Daily Telegraph. No. 9570. 8 September 1899. p. 1. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  11. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". Hawke's Bay Herald. Vol. XXXIV, no. 11403. 8 December 1899. p. 4. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Hastings". The Daily Telegraph. No. 9747. 21 December 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  13. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". Hastings Standard. Vol. X, no. 5405. 18 January 1907. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  14. ↑ "Ratepayers' Meeting". Hastings Standard. Vol. X, no. 5420. 5 February 1907. p. 3. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  15. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". The Daily Telegraph. No. 11445. 7 August 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  16. ↑ "The Hastings Standard. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1908". Hastings Standard. Vol. XII, no. 5996. 3 November 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  17. ↑ "The Hastings Standard. Friday. Sept. 3, 1909". Hastings Standard. Vol. XIII, no. 4251. 3 September 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  18. ↑ "Hastings Borough Council". Hastings Standard. Vol. XIV, no. 4506. 8 July 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  19. ↑ "Page 1 Advertisements Column 4". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. IV, no. 419. 17 April 1915. p. 1. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Hastings". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 51, no. 53. 5 April 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  21. ↑ "Personal". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XI, no. 120. 13 May 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  22. 1 2 "Deputy Mayor of Hastings". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XII, no. 191. 28 July 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Hastings Mayoralty". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 52, no. 274. 22 December 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  24. ↑ "Hastings". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 53, no. 4. 5 February 1923. p. 6. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  25. ↑ "Personal". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 53, no. 83. 11 May 1923. p. 5. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Elections". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 55, no. 72. 28 April 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  27. ↑ "Am I, or am I not?". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XII, no. 191. 26 June 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  28. ↑ "Dominion Items". Hokitika Guardian. 29 October 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  29. ↑ "Local & General". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XVII. 5 December 1927. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  30. ↑ "Page 4 Advertisements Column 5". Hawke's Bay Tribune. Vol. XIX, no. 108. 26 April 1929. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "Mayor's Services". Waipukurau Press. Vol. XXVIII, no. 105. 29 April 1933. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Personals". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. 63, no. 108. 9 June 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  33. ↑ "Personal Items". Timaru Herald. Vol. CXLIX, no. 21892. 19 February 1941. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  34. 1 2 "New Deputy Mayor Elected In Hastings". Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune. Vol. 89, no. 227. 21 June 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  35. ↑ "Obituary: Mr A. Kirkpatrick". The Press. Vol. CXI, no. 32697. 28 August 1971. p. 19. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  36. 1 2 3 4 "Hastings City Council: Record of Councillors" (PDF). Hastings District Council. Retrieved 21 April 2026 – via Internet Archive.
  37. ↑ "Progress In Organising Civil Defence". The Evening Post. 4 July 1964. p. 21. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Ex-county council chairman dies at 76". Hawke's Bay Today. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  39. ↑ "Council locked in emotional debate". Hawke's Bay Today. 10 March 1994. Retrieved 17 April 2026.
  40. ↑ "Cynthia BOWERS". Hawke's Bay Knowledge Bank. Hawke's Bay Digital Archives Trust. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  41. ↑ Harper, Nicki (27 October 2016). "Hazlehurst takes up Hastings deputy mayor role". The New Zealand Herald. Hawke's Bay Today. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  42. ↑ Dooney, Laura (28 September 2017). "Six candidates put their hats in the ring to be mayor of Hastings". Stuff. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  43. ↑ Harper, Nicki (23 June 2017). "Last meeting for Mayor Yule - Nixon elected acting deputy". The New Zealand Herald. Hawke's Bay Today. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  44. ↑ Chumko, Andre (14 December 2017). "Tania Kerr 'absolutely honoured' after appointment as Hastings deputy mayor". Stuff. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  45. ↑ "Farewell for departing Hastings mayor and councillors". Hastings District Council. 22 October 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
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