Wikipedia

Porirua City Council

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

Porirua City Council
Porirua City Council coat of arms
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
Preceded byPorirua Borough Council
Leadership
Deputy Mayor
Kylie Wihapi
Chief Executive
Wendy Walker[1]
Structure
Seats11[a]
Political groups
  •   Labour (2)
  •   Independent (9)
Length of term
3 years
Elections
STV
Last election
8 October 2022
Next election
11 October 2025
Meeting place
16 Cobham Court, Porirua
Website
poriruacity.govt.nz
Footnotes
  1. ^ One mayor, 10 councillors

The council is made up of a mayor elected at-large and 10 councillors elected from two general wards (Onepoto General Ward and Pāuatahanui General Ward) and one Māori ward (Parirua Māori Ward).[2] They are elected using a single transferable vote system in triennial elections, with the most recent election being held in 2022.

The current mayor is Anita Baker.

History

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Local Government in the Porirua basin began on 1 June 1854 with the Porirua Road Board being declared in the Wellington Provincial Council Gazette.[3][4] Road boards were set up by the provincial governments to develop and maintain local and district roads.[5]

The first election for the Porirua Road District, held under the District Highways Act 1856, took place on 20 September 1856. On 7th November 1864, the Takapu Road District was declared and wardens for the district were elected annually. The Wellington Highway District Board (Hutt County) was given control of the district in 1872.[3]

In 1876, Makara and Porirua ridings were made part of the Karori-Makara Highway Board and elections were conducted.[3] Later that year, Porirua was established as one of six ridings making up Hutt County, which in turn was established by the Counties Act 1876 as one of 12 counties which would replace the Wellington Province.[6] It elected 2 councillors to the Hutt County Council.[7]

In 1908, Makara County was separated from Hutt County, amalgamating the Porirua riding with the Makara riding and Tawa.[6][8] The first elections for Makara County were held on 28 January 1908.[3]

Following the construction of a new business district on the site of the village of Porirua beginning in the 1950s,[9][10] the autonomous Borough of Porirua was established on 1 September 1962, the day after Makara County was abolished.[3][11][12] The rest of what had been the Makara County was re-incorporated into Hutt County as the Makara Riding.[6] Tawa had already separated from the county to form its own Town Board in 1951.[3]

Porirua was declared to be a city in 1965 by Governor-general Sir Bernard Fergusson.[3][13]

On 1 April 1973, the city of Porirua was expanded to include large areas to the north-east and some to the south, transferred from Hutt County, along with Mana Island.[14] In 1988, it was further expanded to include the Horokiri riding, which contained most of Whitby and large rural areas, before Hutt County was abolished in the 1989 local government reforms, which transferred to Wellington City most of the southern fringe areas that had been added in 1973 - notably the Takapu Valley and Arohata.[15][16]

 
A cadastral map showing the boundaries of Porirua city in 1969

Council and committees

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The elected mayor and councillors provide governance for the city by setting the policy direction of the council, monitoring its performance, representing the city's interests, and employing the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive is in charge of the administration of the council and employs all other council staff to achieve its strategic priorities.[17][18] The Chief Executive is currently Wendy Walker.[1]

Current councillors

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Porirua City Council, 2022–2025[19][2]
Position Name Ward Affiliation (if any)
Mayor Anita Baker At-large Independent
Deputy Mayor Kylie Wihapi Parirua Māori ward Independent
Councillor Mike Duncan Onepoto general ward Independent
Councillor Geoff Hayward Onepoto general ward Labour
Councillor Moze Galo Onepoto general ward Independent
Councillor Kathleen Filo Onepoto general ward Independent
Councillor Izzy Ford Onepoto general ward Independent
Councillor Josh Trlin Pāuatahanui general ward Labour
Councillor Ross Leggett Pāuatahanui general ward Independent
Councillor Nathan Waddle Pāuatahanui general ward Independent
Councillor Tracy Johnson Pāuatahanui general ward Independent

Committees

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Current committees of the Porirua City Council[18][20]
Committee Chairperson Deputy Chairperson Members
Council
Te Kaunihera o Porirua 		Mayor Anita Baker Deputy Mayor Kylie Wihapi
  • All councillors
  • Taku Parai, Council Kaumātua (Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira)[a]
Te Puna Kōrero Cr Ross Leggett Cr Josh Trlin
  • Mayor Anita Baker
  • All Councillors
  • Taku Parai
Audit and Risk Committee
Komiti Tātari me te Mōrea 		Warren Allen[b] Cr Nathan Waddle
  • Mayor Anita Baker
  • Cr Mike Duncan
  • Cr Kathleen Filo
  • Cr Tracy Johnson
  • Cr Ross Leggett
  • Cr Josh Trlin
  • Felicity Caird [b]
Chief Executive’s Employment Committee
Komiti Whai Mahi a te Tumuaki 		Cr Mike Duncan Mayor Anita Baker
  • Cr Izzy Ford
  • Cr Kylie Wihapi
  • Cr Ross Leggett
  • Cr Nathan Waddle
  • Cr Tracy Johnson
  • Taku Parai
Dog Control Hearings Subcommittee
Komiti Iti mō Ngā Whakawātanga Whakahaere Kurī 		Mayor Anita Baker
  • Cr Mike Duncan
  • Cr Kylie Wihapi
Porirua District Licensing Committee
Te Rōpū Tuku Raihana Waipiro o Porirua 		Cr Kylie Wihapi Cr Mike Duncan
  • Rachel Palu
  • Nicole Maloney
  • Saar Conen Rohen
  • Kevin Watson
  • Sandy Gill
  1. ^ Non-voting member
  2. ^ a b External member

Wards

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The 10 councillors are elected from three wards: Onepoto General Ward, Pāuatahanui General Ward, and Parirua Māori Ward.

Candidates standing in the general wards are elected by voters registered on the general electoral roll, while those standing in the Māori ward are elected by voters registered on the Māori electoral roll.[21]

Parirua Māori Ward

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The Parirua Māori Ward elects 1 councillor and covers the whole city of Porirua.

The Parirua Māori Ward was established following a council vote in May 2021, a representation review and an appeal to the Local Government Commission which upheld its establishment.[21][22]

Onepoto General Ward

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The Onepoto General Ward elects 5 councillors and covers:[21][23]

Pāuatahanui General Ward

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The Pāuatahanui General Ward elects 4 councillors and covers:[21][23]

Coat of arms

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Porirua City was granted a Coat of Arms by the Earl Marshal of England on 1 December 1965. The city officially adopted the coat of arms via a bylaw on 27 November 1969.[24]

Coat of arms of Porirua
 
Crest
On a Wreath of the Colours in front of a Lymphad proper Sail set Pennon flying Gules Flags flying Azure a Whale proper.
Escutcheon
Vert two Piles Barry wavy of ten Argent and Azure
Supporters
On the dexter side a Private Soldier of the 58th Regiment of Foot in the uniform of the early Nineteenth Century and on the sinister side a Māori Warrior both proper.
Motto
Mo Te Katoa Nga Mahi (All That is Done is For the Benefit of All)
Symbolism
The green of the shield represents the rural countryside when Porirua was first settled. The blue and white triangles (Piles) symbolise the two arms of Porirua Harbour. The whale and "lymphad" (sailing ship) represent whaling, which was an important early industry in the area, and the many ships that visited the harbour. The 58th Regiment of Foot spent time in the Porirua area in the nineteenth century, and the Māori warrior represents the long settlement of Māori in the area.

Notable councillors

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Our executive team". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Councillors". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "NZ Elective Structures Since Colonisation". www.pcc.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Proclamation". New Zealand Government Gazette (Province of Wellington). 1 (12): 66. 9 June 1854. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  5. ^ Walrond, Carl (11 March 2010). "Roads - Funding road construction". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Hutt County Council". Archives Online. Wellington City Council. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  7. ^ "The Hutt County Council". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  8. ^ "7 EDW VII 1907 No 28 Makara County" (PDF). www.nzlii.org. New Zealand Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  9. ^ Maclean, Chris. "Wellington places – Porirua". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  10. ^ Maclean, Chris. "Wellington region – New growth and attitudes: 1940–1975". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  11. ^ Maclean, Chris. "The break-up of Hutt County". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  12. ^ Maclean, Chris. "Wellington region – Government". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  13. ^ McLintock, A. H. "Porirua". teara.govt.nz. An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Boundaries of County of Hutt and City of Porirua Altered" (PDF). www.nzlii.org. New Zealand Gazette. pp. 79–82. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Porirua City Council Long-term Plan 2015–25 | Porirua – the local context" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Porirua City Council. p. 252. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Hutt County Abolition Order 1988" (PDF). www.nzlii.org. New Zealand Gazette. pp. 4519–4524. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Governance - what your council does". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Local Governance Statement 2023" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  19. ^ "2022 Porirua City Election Results". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Council committees". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d "Wards Maps and Boundaries". poriruacity.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Determination of representation arrangements to apply for the election of the Porirua City Council to be held on 8 October 2022" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Local Government Commission. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Two Council Wards" (PDF). storage.googleapis.com. Porirua City Council. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Coat of Arms (Archived)". www.pcc.govt.nz. Porirua City Council. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
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