Christchurch City Council
The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. The Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who was elected in 2022 and 2025l. The council currently consists of 16 elected Councillors in sixteen wards, and is presided over by the mayor, who is elected at large. The number of elected members and ward boundaries changed prior to the 2016 election.
History
The original Christchurch City Council was formed in 1862 to serve as the local municipality for Christchurch city. The jurisdiction of the original council was quite small, covering what is today just the central core of the city. By the mid-1920s the city had grown by amalgamating with some of the surrounding boroughs to include Beckenham, St Martins, Linwood, Opawa and Papanui.As a result of the 1989 local government reforms, the original council was disestablished, and on 1 November 1989 the new Christchurch City Council took over the functions of the former Christchurch City Council as well as the Heathcote County Council, Riccarton Borough Council, Waimairi District Council, part of Paparua County Council, and the Christchurch Drainage Board. On 6 March 2006, Banks Peninsula District Council merged with Christchurch City Council.
Councillor Yani Johanson campaigned since 2010 to live-stream council meetings for more transparency. Whilst the technology had been installed well before the 2013 local elections, it has only been used since the change to Lianne Dalziel as mayor.
In mid-June 2024, the Christchurch City Council announced it would be withdrawing from Local Government New Zealand after the local government bodies association raised its annual membership costs by more than NZ$20,000. Mayor Phil Mauger welcomed the withdrawal, saying that it would allow the Council to directly advocate for issues important to Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
Elections
The council is elected every three years using the first-past-the-post voting system. The vote is conducted by postal ballot. The 2016 elections had a turnout of 38.3% down from 42.9% and 52.2% in 2013 and 2010 respectively.Prior to the 2004 local elections, there were 24 councillors in Christchurch. At that election, the number of councillors halved to 12. For electoral purposes, Christchurch was divided into six wards from 2004, and seven wards after the amalgamation with Banks Peninsula in 2006. The six metropolitan wards each elected two councillors, with the remaining councillor elected for the sparsely populated Banks Peninsula ward. The 2016 representation review by the Local Government Commission has resulted in 16 wards, with each ward electing one councillor, i.e. an increase in three councillors.
Political groupings represented on the council are the centre-right Independent Citizens and the centre-left The People's Choice. Party politics are less influential in elections to the council than is the case for the House of Representatives, with 10 councillors elected on tickets and 7 elected as independents in 2019, including the mayor.
Organisation
Mayor, council and committees
Under most circumstances, the council is presided over by the mayor. At its first meeting after a local election, the council elects from among its members a Deputy Mayor, who acts as mayor in the absence and with the consent, or in the incapacity, of the mayor. The Deputy Mayor also presides at meetings if the mayor is not present. The Deputy Mayor is recommended by the mayor and is either confirmed or replaced in a vote of the first council meeting.Councillors also serve on a number of committees., there is one Standing Committee, eight Standing Subcommittees, seven Joint Standing Committees and Working Parties, and 14 ad hoc subcommittees and working parties. The council can delegate certain powers to these committees, or alternatively they can consider matters in more detail and make recommendations to the full council.
Community boards
The council has established six community boards. These community boards deal with matters delegated to them by the council, act as representatives and advocates for their communities, and interact with community organisations and interest groups. General tasks typically delegated to local community boards are the locations of council rubbish bins, traffic lights, stop signs and pedestrian crossings; Also rubbish collection, local disturbance review and relaying information to the main council from their Ward area through the Councillor who has a right to sit on the board within their ward.Some community boards, like the council, have created committees for specific purposes.
As of the 2022 local elections, the members of the community boards are:
Organisational support
The day-to-day administration of the City of Christchurch is carried out by a large team of Council staff. Indeed, in everyday usage, the term the council is extended to include not just the Mayor and Councillors, but the entire local civil service. The professional head of the civil service is the chief executive, who is appointed by the council under contract for up to five years. The chief executive is assisted by a team of general managers, who each have an individualised portfolio.In early July 2013, CEO Tony Marryatt was put on indefinite leave on full pay over the council losing its accreditation with International Accreditation New Zealand to issue building consents, one of council's core functions. General manager Jane Parfitt was appointed acting CEO. Karleen Edwards was chief executive from June 2014 to June 2019. In July 2019, she was succeeded by Dawn Baxendale. Baxendale resigned in November 2023, and was replaced by Mary Richardson on an interim basis.
List of chief executives
| Years | Name |
| 1862–1875 | G. Gordon |
| 1875–1901 | F. T. Haskins |
| 1901–1924 | H. R. Smith |
| 1924–1940 | J. S. Neville |
| 1940–1961 | H. S. Feast |
| 1961–1967 | Colin Bowie |
| 1967–1973 | M. B. Hayes |
| 1973–1993 | John H. Gray |
| 1993–2003 | Mike Richardson |
| 2003–2007 | Lesley McTurk |
| 2007–2013 | Tony Marryatt |
| 2013–2014 | Jane Parfitt |
| 2014–2019 | Dr Karleen Edwards |
| 2019 | Mary Richardson |
| 2019–2023 | Dawn Baxendale |
| 2023–present | Mary Richardson |
Elected members
The current elected members were chosen at the 2025 New Zealand local elections. Since then, two by-elections have been held to fill vacancies on community boards — one in the Innes ward and another in the Lyttelton subdivision of Banks Peninsula. In addition, one vacancy was filled by appointment under section 117 of the Local Electoral Act 2001.Wards
The 16 councillors are each individually elected from one of 16 electoral wards.- Banks Peninsula ward – Covers the whole of Banks Peninsula, including the subdivisions of Akaroa, Lyttelton, Wairewa, and Mount Herbert.
- Burwood ward – Covers the suburbs of Aranui, Wainoni, Bexley, Burwood, Avondale, Dallington, Shirley East, Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor, Prestons, Waitikiri, Marshlands and Travis Wetlands.
- Cashmere ward – Covers the suburbs of Westmorland, Cracroft, Somerfield, Cashmere, Beckenham, Huntsbury, and St Martins.
- Central ward – Apart from the central city, it covers the suburbs of Richmond, Linwood Village, Avon Loop, Phillipstown and Charleston.
- Coastal ward – Covers the suburbs of the suburbs of Brooklands, Spencerville, Kāinga, Ouruhia, Queenspark, Parklands, Waimairi Beach, North New Brighton, New Brighton, South New Brighton, and Southshore.
- Fendalton ward – Covers the suburbs of Fendalton, Merivale, Strowan and Bryndwr as well as parts of Ilam, Burnside and St Albans.
- Halswell ward – Covers the suburbs of Halswell, Wigram, Aidanfield and Kennedys Bush.
- Harewood ward – Covers the suburbs of Bishopdale, Harewood, Northwood and Belfast and parts of Casebrook and Yaldhurst.
- Heathcote ward – Covers the suburbs of Sydenham, Waltham, Opawa, Murray Aynsley, Heathcote Valley, Ferrymead, Saint Andrews Hill, Mt Pleasant, Moncks Spur, Redcliffs, Sumner, Scarborough and Onepoto Taylors Mistake.
- Hornby ward – Covers the suburbs of Hornby, Hei Hei, Islington and Yaldhurst, as well as parts of Wigram and Sockburn.
- Innes ward – Covers the suburbs of Edgeware, Mairehau, Shirley, and St Albans.
- Linwood ward – Covers the suburbs of Linwood, Woolston, and Bromley.
- Papanui ward – Covers the suburbs of Papanui, Redwood, Northcote and Sawyers Arms.
- Riccarton ward – Covers the suburbs of Riccarton, Ilam, Sockburn and Upper Riccarton.
- Spreydon ward – Covers the suburbs of Addington, Hillmorton, Hoon Hay and Spreydon.
- Waimairi ward – Covers the suburbs of Russley, Avonhead and Burnside as well as parts of Ilam.
Responsibilities and services