Assid Corban
Assid Khaleel Corban was a New Zealand local-body politician and company director. He was the first Mayor of Waitakere City and previously Mayor of the Henderson Borough Council.
Biography
Early life
Corban was descended from Assid Abraham Corban, who emigrated in 1892 to New Zealand from Lebanon and in 1902 established the first commercial vineyard in New Zealand. In 1948, Assid Corban married Miriam Khouri, and the couple went on to have four children. Corban worked as an orchid grower, and as a director of Corbans Wines.Political career
Corban was first elected as a councillor for Henderson Borough Council in 1956–1959, and again in 1965–1971. In 1971–1974, he held the position of Deputy Mayor, and he was elected Mayor of Henderson Borough Council in 1974. He held that position until the 1989 [local government reforms] when Henderson became part of the newly formed Waitakere City. As mayor, Corban oversaw the development of Henderson Square, a large-scale shopping centre.In 1989, Corban was elected as the first Mayor of Waitakere City, winning against former Waitemata City mayor Tim Shadbolt. He held the position for one term until 1992. He was then elected as a councillor to Waitakere City 1998–2001, and from 2007 to 2010.
In the 2010 local elections, he successfully stood for both the Henderson-Massey Local Board and the Waitakere Licensing Trust Ward 4 – Henderson.