The mayor of Dunedin (Māori: ) is the head of the local government in Dunedin, New Zealand. They preside over the Dunedin City Council. The mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform civic duties". The mayor is directly elected, using the single transferable vote (STV) system from 2007. The current mayor is Sophie Barker who was elected in 2025.
The mayor has always been elected at large, with the inaugural election in 1865. Up until 1915, the term of mayor was for one year only. From 1915 to 1935, the term was two years. Since the 1935 mayoral election, the term has been three years. The role of deputy mayor was established in 1917.
The mayoralty is subject to election every three years, the next vote being the 2025 Dunedin mayoral election.
List of mayors of Dunedin Key
# Name Portrait Term of Office 1 William Mason18651867 2 John Hyde Harris18671868 3 Thomas Birch18681870 4 Henry Fish18701873 5 Andrew Mercer18731874 6 Keith Ramsay18741875 7 Henry John Walter18751876 8 Charles Reeves18761877 9 Richard Henry Leary18771878 (7) Henry John Walter18781879 10 Archibald Hilson Ross18801881 11 James Gore18811882 12 John Bryce Thomson18821883 13 William Parker Street18831884 14 Arthur Scoullar18841885 15 John Barnes18851886 (9) Richard Henry Leary18861887 16 William Dawson18871888 17 Hugh Gourley18881889 18 John Roberts18891890 19 John Carroll18901891 20 Charles Robert Chapman18911892 21 Charles Haynes18921893 (4) Henry Fish18931895 22 Nathaniel Wales18951896 (17) Hugh Gourley18961897 23 Edward Cargill18971898 24 William Swan18981899 25 Robert Chisholm18991901 26 George Lyon Denniston19011902 27 James Alexander Park19021903 28 Thomas Scott19031904 29 Thomas Reid Christie19041905 30 Joseph Braithwaite19051906 31 George Lawrence19061907 32 John Loudon19071908 33 John McDonald19081909 34 James Hamlin Walker19091910 35 Thomas Cole19101911 36 William Burnett19111912 37 John Wilson19121913 38 William Downie Stewart Jr19131914 39 John Shacklock19141915 40 James Clark19151919 41 William Begg19191921 42 James Douglas19211923 43 Harold Tapley19231927 44 William Taverner19271929 45 Robert Black19291933 46 Edwin Thoms Cox19331938 47 Andrew Allen19381944 48 Donald Cameron19441950 49 Len Wright19501959 50 Stuart Sidey19591965 51 Russell Calvert19651968 52 Jim Barnes 19681977 53 Cliff Skeggs 19771989 54 Richard Walls 19891995 55 Sukhi Turner19952004 56 Peter Chin20042010 57 Dave Cull20102019 58 Aaron Hawkins20192022 59 Jules Radich20222025 60 Sophie Barker2025present
Notes
References
External links
DCC website – election results DCC website – councillors since 1865