The mayor of Whangārei is the elected head of local government in the Whangārei District of New Zealand's North Island; one of 67 mayors in the country. The principal town of the district (and its namesake) is Whangārei. The mayor presides over the Whangārei District Council and is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) method (as of 2025).
The position has existed since 27 October 1896, when the Whangarei Borough Council was constituted. Later the mayor presided over Whangarei City Council. The position has existed in its present form since 1 November 1989, following the amalgamation of Whangarei County Council, Whangarei City Council and Hikurangi Town Board. The mayor is supported by a deputy mayor.
List of mayors The following table is a complete list of the mayors of Whangarei since the formation of Whangarei Borough in 1896. Name Portrait Term of office 1 James Miller Killen 1896–1899 2 William Corns 1899–1901 (1) James Miller Killen 1901–1902 (2) William Corns 1902–1904 (1) James Miller Killen 1904–1905 3 Harry Weaver 1905–1908 4 Thomas McClintock 1908–1910 5 Thomas Herbert Steadman 1910–1914 6 Donald William Jack 1914–1917 7 John Samuel Dent 1917–1921 8 Donald Alexander McLean 1921–1925 9 James Edmund Holmes 1925–1927 10 Leonard James Brake 1927–1929 11 William Jones 1929–1953 12 Horace William James 1953–1954 13 Les McKinnon 1954–1956 14 Frank Johnson 1956–1968 15 Ken Haslett 1968–1977 16 Ted Elliott 1977–1983 17 Joyce Ryan 1983–1989 18 Stan Semenoff 1989–1998 19 Craig Brown 1998–2004 20 Pamela Peters 2004–2007 (18) Stan Semenoff 2007–2010 21 Morris Cutforth 2010–2013 22 Sheryl Mai 2013–2022 23 Vince Cocurullo 2022–2025 24 Ken Couper 2025–present
Deputy mayor The deputy mayor is the second highest elected official in the Whangarei District Council. The deputy mayor acts in support of the Mayor of Whangarei. It is the second highest elected position in the council. However, like the position of Deputy Prime Minister, this seniority does not necessarily translate into power. They are appointed by the mayor from the elected ward councillors.
Beyond committees of the whole council, the deputy mayor is an ex-officio member of the following Whangarei District Council committees: Community Development Committee Finance and Corporate Committee Infrastructure Committee Planning and Development Committee
The deputy mayor may be appointed to additional committees that the mayor wishes to appoint them to. The following table lists the deputy mayors since the local government reforms of 1989.
Mayor Deputy mayor Term of officeStan Semenoff Craig Brown Pamela Peters Phil Halse 2004–2007Stan Semenoff Kahu Sutherland 2007–2010Morris Cutforth Phil Halse 2010–2013 Sheryl Mai Sharon Morgan 2013–2019 Greg Innes 2019–2022Vince Cocurullo Phil Halse 2022–2025Ken Couper Scott McKenzie 2025–present
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