Invercargill City Council

Invercargill City Council
Coat of arms or logo
Invercargill City Council coat of arms
Logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
Founded1929 or 1930
Preceded byInvercargill Borough Council
Leadership
Deputy Mayor
Grant Dermody
Structure
Seats13[a]
Length of term
3 years
Elections
FPP
Last election
11 October 2025
Next election
2028
Meeting place
Invercargill Town Hall and Civic Theatre
Website
icc.govt.nz
Footnotes
  1. ^ Includes Mayor

The Invercargill City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Invercargill, New Zealand.

The council is made up of an elected mayor and 12 councillors elected at-large.[2] They are elected using First-past-the-post voting in triennial elections,[3] with the most recent election being held in 2025. The current mayor is Tom Campbell[4].

History

The site that would go on to become Invercargill was selected and streets laid out by the chief surveyor for the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson, in 1856.[5]

Following a public meeting on 14 March 1871 to discuss the establishment of the Invercargill municipality, notice of the incorporation of the town of Invercargill was published in the Otago Provincial Gazette on 28 June 1871.[6][7]

Borough elections for the first Mayor of Invercargill were then held on 26 August 1871, with the election of the eight councillors taking place later on 5 September 1871.[6] The electorate for these first elections consisted of Invercargill property owners.[5][8] The council held its inaugural meeting on 11 September 1871.[6]

The Invercargill Town Hall and Civic Theatre, opened in November 1906, was initially built for the council. Previously the council had sat in what had been the Southland Provincial Council Chambers.[9]

In 1909, Gladstone, Avenal, North Invercargill and East Invercargill were amalgamated into Invercargill Borough.[8]

In 1929[8] or 1930,[5] Invercargill Borough gained city status. In 1956, the borough of South Invercargill was amalgamated into the city.[8]

Most of the city council staff left the Civic Theatre for newly built council offices in the 1960s, though the Council Chamber and committee room remain in use.[9]

The modern borders of the city of Invercargill took shape when Bluff was amalgamated in the local government reforms of 1989.[8]

Since 2021, the council has appointed two mana whenua representatives nominated by local runaka. They do not have voting rights at full council meetings but may vote in committee meetings.[10]

Composition

Invercargill Town Hall and Civic Theatre
Blade of grass sculpture outside the Invercargill City Council building in Esk Street

Councillors

Invercargill City Council[11][12]
Position Name Affiliation (if any)
Mayor Tom Campbell Independent
Deputy Mayor Grant Dermody Independent
Councillor Allan Arnold Independent
Councillor Ria Bond Independent
Councillor Trish Boyle Integrity, Independence
Councillor Steve Broad Independent
Councillor Alex Crackett Independent
Councillor Andrea de Vries Independent
Councillor Darren Ludlow Independent
Councillor Marcus Lush Independent
Councillor Ian Pottinger Independent
Councillor Barry Stewart Independent
Councillor Lisa Tou-McNaughton Positivity, Partnership and Progress
Mana whenua Evelyn Cook Waihōpai Rūnaka
Mana whenua Pania Coote Te Rūnanga o Awarua

Community board

The council has created a local community board, under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002,[13] to represent Bluff. The Bluff Community Board consists of five elected members[14] and two councillors appointed by the council.[11]

The community board is intended to provide advice to the city council regarding the interests of the Bluff community.

Bluff Community Board
Position Name
Board member Jo Eruera
Board member Ray Fife
Board member Frazer Murdoch
Board member Haylee Simeon
Board member Justin Sutherland

Coat of arms

The city of Invercargill has a coat of arms, which was first proposed in 1956 for Invercargill’s centenary and granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms on 25 July 1958.[15][16] The coat of arms is used as an official seal for the council.[2]

Coat of arms of Invercargill City Council
Crest
A Mural Crown Argent.
Escutcheon
Or, on three Bars Wavy Gules a Ram's Head Horned Affrontee proper, on a Chief Wavy Azure a Lymphad Argent, Flagged Gules between two Garbs Or.
Supporters
On either side a Takahē proper.
Motto
Pro Communi Utilitate (For the Use of the Community).
Symbolism
The red wavy bars on the arms are taken from those on the arms of Clan Drummond, which is associated with Captain William Cargill. The ram’s head, sheaves of wheat and ship are intended to represent the agriculture and export activity of Southland, while the mural crown in the crest is a symbol of government. The takahē supporters were included in recognition of their rediscovery in Fiordland in 1948, after previously having been thought to be extinct.

Notable councillors

  • James Walker Bain – former member of parliament, mayor 1891–1892
  • William Denham – former member of parliament, councillor 1928–
  • Lesley Soper – former member of parliament, councillor 2016–
  • Lloyd Esler QSM – natural history teacher, columnist, councillor 2010–2019
  • Marcus Lush – television and radio presenter, councillor 2021–2022

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Your Council". icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Elections". icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  4. ^ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Grant, David (8 September 2008). "Southland places – Invercargill". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Information on past Mayors of Invercargill City and the location of their headstones in the Invercargill Cemeteries" (PDF). icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  7. ^ Cyclopedia Company Limited. "The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts] | Borough Of Invercargill". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e Grant, David (8 September 2008). "Southland region – Government, education and health". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Town Hall and Civic Theatre". www.heritage.org.nz. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Mana whenua representatives announced". Invercargill City Council. 1 October 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Mayor and Councillors". icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council.
  12. ^ "Mana Whenua Representatives". Invercargill City Council.
  13. ^ "Local Government Act 2002 No 84 (as at 01 July 2017)". www.legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Bluff Community Board". icc.govt.nz. Invercargill City Council.
  15. ^ Pollock, Kerryn (11 March 2010). "Invercargill symbols". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  16. ^ McLintock, A. H. "Local". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 20 April 2024.

Sources

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