The Grey District mayor, often referred to as the mayor of Greymouth, officiates over the Grey District of New Zealand which is administered by the Grey District Council, with its seat in Greymouth. The current mayor is Tania Gibson. Two predecessors to this office were the mayor of Greymouth, officiating over the Greymouth Borough Council from 1868, and from 1877 the chairman of the Grey County Council.

History The Greymouth Borough was constituted in 1868 under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1867. This covered the urban area of Greymouth.

After provincial government had been abolished in 1876, counties were formed in the following year. One of those was Grey County that covered an area around Greymouth. The first chairman of Grey County was Arthur Guinness.

Greymouth Borough and Grey County were abolished in the 1989 local government reforms, when the areas became part of Grey District. Since then, the head of the administration has been the mayor of Grey.

Lists of mayors and chairmen

Mayors of Greymouth Borough The first elections were held in Greymouth Borough on 26 August 1868, when nine councillors were elected. Even before the councillors met for the first time, it was discovered that the legislation required for three of them to retire by rotation on 10 September. All three councillors stood for re-election, but one of them was replaced by Edward Masters. At the first meeting of the council in the following week, Masters was elected the first mayor of Greymouth by his fellow councillors.

Barry Dallas was mayor of Greymouth from 1966 to 1968, and from 1980 until the borough's abolition in 1989. He then became the inaugural mayor of the new Grey District.

NamePortraitTermNotes1 Edward Masters1868–18702 Joseph Kilgour18703 Edward Wickes 1871–18724 George Glen 18735 William Simpson Smith 18746 George William Moss 1875–1876 First ratepayer election7 Francis Hamilton 1877–18788 Richard Nancarrow 1879–18819 James Barkley 1882–188310 Fritz Carl Dupre 188411 John Griffiths Thomas 1885(8) Richard Nancarrow 1886 second period12 Joseph Petrie1887–1888 Mayor paid £100 annually;last borough in New Zealand to pay13 John Mitchell 1889–189014 Andrew Matheson 1891–189215 William Robert Kettle 1893–189416 Frederick Barrington Waters 189417 Felix Campbell 1894–189518 Jacob Theodore Skoglund 1896–1898(14) Andrew Matheson 1899–1903 second period19 Jesse Steer 1903–190420 James Andrew Petrie 1904–1907(12) Joseph Petrie1907–1908second period21 Thomas Coates 1908–191022 Alfred Charles Russell 1910–191223 George Edward Perkins 1912–191724 James Daniel Lynch 1917–192325 William Henry Parfitt 1923–192726 John Webber Greenslade 1927–1935 9 years service27 William Meldrum 1935–193828 Fred Kitchingham1938–1947 9 years service29 Fred Boustridge 1947–195030Frederick Lovell Turley 1950–195331 Frederick William Baillie 1954–1965 12 years service32Barry Dallas 1965–196833Ossie Jackson 1968–198012 years service(32) Barry Dallas 1980–1989second period

Chairmen of Grey County

NameTermNotes1 Arthur Guinness1877–18842 John Mangan Clifford18853 John Warren1886(1) Arthur Guinness1887 2nd period4 Denis Ryall18885 James Marshall18896 Patrick Foley18907 William McKechnie18918 J. McCarthy18929 Michael Hannan189310 R. Larkin189411 James Finn189512 James Hargreaves189613 S. R. Harris1897(8) J. McCarthy1898 2nd period(9) Michael Hannan1899 2nd period(5) James Marshall1900 2nd period(7) William McKechnie1901 2nd period(4) Denis Ryall1902 2nd period(10) R. Larkin1903 2nd period(11) James Finn1904 2nd period(12) James Hargreaves1905 2nd period(13) S. R. Harris1906 2nd period(8) J. McCarthy1907 3rd period(9) Michael Hannan1908 3rd period(5) James Marshall1909 3rd period14 John Tindale191015 John Ryall1911(10) R. Larkin1912 3rd period(9) Michael Hannan1913 4th period(8) J. McCarthy1914 4th period16 P. Ryder1915(15) John Ryall1916 2nd period(9) Michael Hannan1917 5th period(8) J. McCarthy1918 5th period17 D. Baybutt191918 J. P. Irvine192019 A. Blair1921(8) J. McCarthy1921 6th period20 Jack Hannan1922–192321 P. Donnellan1924(20) Jack Hannan1925 2nd period(17) D. Baybutt1926 2nd period(15) John Ryall1927 3rd period22 A. Robinson1928(20) Jack Hannan1929 3rd period23 W. T. Ogilvie1930(15) John Ryall1931 4th period(20) Jack Hannan1932 4th period24 G. Blair193325 J. Mulcare1934(20) Jack Hannan1935 5th period(15) John Ryall1936 5th period(20) Jack Hannan1937–1938 6th period(15) John Ryall1939 6th period(20) Jack Hannan1940 7th period26 H. G. Carter1941(25) J. Mulcare1942 2nd period27 W. Fisher194328 R. Clark1944(15) John Ryall1945 7th period(20) Jack Hannan1946–1947 8th period29 J. Ryan1948(25) J. Mulcare1949 3rd period(20) Jack Hannan1950 9th period(28) R. Clark1951 2nd period30 T. G. Jamieson1952(15) John Ryall1953 8th period; died 26 May 195331 J. Clayton1953–1954(29) J. Ryan1955 2nd period32 D. J. Ryall195633 M. K. Molloy195734 J. Shields1958(31) J. Clayton1959 2nd period35 D. R. Gibbens1960(32) D. J. Ryall1961 2nd period36 A. D. Kennedy1962(33) M. K. Molloy1963 2nd period(35) D. R. Gibbens1964 2nd period37 R. Aynsley1965(31) J. Clayton1966 3rd period(33) M. K. Molloy1966 3rd period38 B. Myer1967(32) D. J. Ryall1968–1970 3rd period39 Doug Truman1971–197840 C. H. McLellan1979–198041 Bob Smithem1981–1989

Mayors of Grey District NamePortraitTermNotes1 Barry Dallas 1989–1991 14 years service of Greymouth and Grey District2 Ron Hibbs 1991–19983 Kevin Brown 1998–20044 Tony Kokshoorn 2004–2019 15 years service. Longest-serving mayor of Greymouth and Grey District5 Tania Gibson 2019–present Greymouth's first woman mayor

References