Helen Worboys

Helen Joyce Worboys is a New Zealand local-body politician. She was the sixth Mayor of Manawatu, serving from 2016 to 2025.

Early life and career

Worboys has lived in the Feilding area since the age of 10. Before entering local government she was a farmer and manager of development agency Feilding Promotion. She still farms at Mount Biggs, where she currently resides.

Mayoral career

In October 2016 Worboys was elected Mayor of Manawatu, defeating incumbent Margaret Kouvelis. She was re-elected in 2019.
In October 2022, Worboys was re-elected for a third term, winning 5,080 votes. As chair of "Communities 4 Local Democracy – He hapori mō te Manapori," she campaigned against the New Zealand Government's controversial Three Waters reform programme. She made the decision to not stand for re-election in 2025, and was succeeded by Michael Ford in October 2025.