The mayor of Whakatāne is the head of the municipal government in Whakatāne District, New Zealand. The mayor presides over the Whakatāne District Council, which was first formed in 1976 following an amalgamation, with further changes taking place in 1989.
The current mayor of Whakatāne is Nándor Tánczos, who was elected in 2025.
Role The mayor of Whakatāne leads the Whakatāne District Council which includes the deputy mayor and nine councillors. The mayor is a member of all of the council's committees excluding the Hearings Committee and is deputy chairperson of the Policy Committee and chairperson of the Audit and Risk Committee. Additionally, the mayor is a member of joint committees and groups including the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, the Regional Transport Committee, the Commercial Advisory Board, and the Eastern Bay of Plenty Joint Committee (which is composed of members of the Whakatane, Kawerau, and Opotiki District Councils and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council).
Elections for the mayor take place every three years as part of the local elections in New Zealand, with the last election being held in 2025. The mayor received a salary of $121,899 plus expenses as of 2020, and holds the title of His/Her Worship.
Lists of mayors The following are the mayors of Whakatāne since 1917. Prior to this, the town of Whakatāne was part of Whakatane County. In 1914 the Whakatane Town Board was formed, and it ceded from Whakatane County the following year. The town board was headed by a chairman. Whakatane Borough Council was formed in 1917, headed by a mayor. Whakatane Borough and Whakatane County merged with the Whakatane Harbour Board in 1976 forming the Whakatane District Council. In 1989 the Whakatane District Council amalgamated with Murupara Borough Council and also added a portion of the Opotiki District and a portion of the Taupo District, forming the Whakatane District Council as it is today.
Bill Sullivan was chairman of the Whakatane Harbour Board (1923–1926) and mayor of the Whakatane Borough Council (1925–1938) before representing the electorate in the House of Representatives (–1957).
Whakatane Borough Council No.NamePortraitTerm 1 George Brabant 1917–1919 2 Frank Moore 1919–1921 3 William Richards Boon 1921–1923 4 Douglas Charles Chalmers 1923–1925 5 John Moffat Turnbull 1925 6 Bill Sullivan 1925–1938 7 Brian Barry 1938–1950 8 Sidney Shapley 1950–1956 9 Harry Warren 1956–1965 10 Rex Morpeth 1965–1976
Whakatāne District Council No.NamePortraitTerm 1 Rex Morpeth 1976–1980 2 Jack Gow 1980–1986 3 Bob Byrne 1986–1989 4 Lorraine Brill 1989–1992 5 Don Herdman 1992–1995 6 Tony Bonne 1995–1998 7 Colin Hammond 1998–2004 8 Colin Holmes 2004–2010 (6) Tony Bonne 2010–2019 9 Judy Turner 2019–2022 10 Victor Luca 2022–2025 11 Nándor Tánczos 2025–present
List of deputy mayors
Whakatane Borough Council The Whakatāne District Council records that there were 12 deputy mayors on the Whakatane Borough Council between 1923 and 1976, with F. B. Cutler being the first to serve in the role from 1923 to 1931. However, L. Duddle was noted as the town's deputy mayor in February 1920 as the mayor, Frank Moore, had left for Wellington the previous Friday. In August 1923, former mayor William Richards Boon was recorded as the deputy mayor, with the mayor having been absent. George Brabant was noted as deputy mayor in both 1924 and 1925, whereas Bill Sullivan served as the deputy mayor in 1925 until he was elected mayor in the same year, which means Cutler cannot have served continuously in those roles during those years.
Cutler is noted as having been elected as deputy mayor in 1929, however, it is not known whether this was a first-time appointment or a reappointment. Consequently, it is difficult to determine when Cutler served in the role.
+NameTermMayorL. Duddle–MooreWilliam Richards BoonChalmersGeorge Brabant–1925BoonBill Sullivan1925TurnbullF. B. Cutler1929?–1931?SullivanJohn Arres1933–1938Sidney Shapley1938–1947BarryCharles Armstrong1947–1950Aubrey O'Rourke1950–1956ShapleyC. H. Brebner1956–1959WarrenAlfred Judd1959–1962R. A. Niederer1962–1968WarrenMorpethF. A. Bridges1968–1971MorpethF. G. Cutler1971–1973D. J. McGlashen1973–1974Bob Byrne1974–1976
Whakatāne District Council Since the inception of the council in 1976, there have been 13 deputy mayors: +No.NameTermMayor1Jack Gow1976–1980Morpeth2Bob Byrne1980–1983Gow3J. R. Rainford1983–19864W. P. Tait1986–1989Byrne5Don Herdman1989–1992Brill6B. A. Guy1992–1995Herdman7Christine Chambers1995–2001BonneHammond8Brian Birkett2001–2004Hammond9Graeme Hanlen2004–2010Holmes10Judy Turner2010–2019Bonne11Andrew Iles2019–2022Turner12Lesley Immink2022–2025Luca13Julie Jukes2025–presentTánczos
Notes
References