Western Bay of Plenty District Council (abbr. WBOPDC; Māori: Te Kaunihera a rohe mai i Ngā Kuri-a-Whārei ki Otamarakau ki te Uru) is the territorial authority for the Western Bay of Plenty District of New Zealand. It serves as the district's local government alongside the Bay of Plenty Regional Council as the regional council. The current entity has existed since 1989, prior to which local government in the area was split between four local authorities.
The governing body of the council has 9 councillors and is chaired by the mayor of Western Bay of Plenty (currently James Denyer since October 2022).
History Withdrawal from Local Government New Zealand In mid-March 2025, the Western Bay of Plenty District Council voted to leave Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), the national advocacy body for local and regional governments in New Zealand, by a margin of six to five. Councillor Tracey Coxhead justified the decision by claiming that LGNZ lacked professionalism and was pursuing an agenda on climate change while Councillor Margaret Murray-Beng claimed the LGNZ had "swung left" and no longer represented councilors' beliefs.
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 district.
Current composition The current members of the governing body of council are: +RoleNameAffiliationWardMayorJames Denyer IndependentElected at-largeDeputyMargaret Murray-Benge IndependentKaimai generalCouncillorTracey Coxhead IndependentKaimai generalCouncillorGraeme Elvin IndependentKaimai generalCouncillorAllan Sole IndependentKatikati-Waihī Beach generalCouncillorRodney Joyce IndependentKatikati-Waihī Beach generalCouncillorShane Beech IndependentMaketu-Te Puke generalCouncillorGrant Dally IndependentMaketu-Te Puke generalCouncillorLaura Rae IndependentMaketu-Te Puke generalCouncillorDarlene Dinsdale IndependentWaka Kai Uru Māori
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