The Brunner Borough was a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

on New Zealand's West Coast from 1887 to 1971. It was formed from an area that belonged to Grey County and, at disestablishment, merged back into Grey County.

History

In September 1887, some residents petitioned the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Sir

William Jervois Lieutenant General Sir William Francis Drummond Jervois (10 September 1821 – 17 August 1897) was a British military engineer and diplomat. After joining the British Army in 1839, he saw service, as a second captain, in South Africa. In 18 ...

, to have

Brunner Brunner may refer to: Places * Brunner, New Zealand * Lake Brunner, New Zealand * Brunner Mine, New Zealand * Brunner, Houston, United States * Brunner (crater), lunar crater Other uses * Brunner (surname) * Brunner the Bounty Hunter, a character ...

(at the time still commonly called Brunnerton) and some nearby settlements constituted a borough. The petition was granted and an election for mayor was called for 21 November 1887. Two candidates contested the election and Francis McParland was successful. Three days later, nine councillors were elected, with 21 candidates contested this second election. One of the successful candidates was Joseph Petrie, who was simultaneously the

mayor of Grey The Mayor of Grey, often referred to as the Mayor of Greymouth, officiates over the Grey District of New Zealand which is administered by the Grey District Council with its seat in Greymouth. The current Mayor is Tania Gibson. Two predecessors to ...

mouth. The newly elected council first met on 26 November 1887 and with that meeting, the borough came into existence. In early 1887, Grey County had committed itself to building a footbridge over the Grey River connecting

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This f ...

and Taylorville following a poll by its ratepayers for a

NZ£ The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...

2,500 loan. As the bridge fell into the Brunner Borough area, the borough council had the project transferred to itself.

Location and services

The Brunner Borough was located either side of the

Grey River / Māwheranui The Grey River / Māwheranui is located in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It rises 12 kilometres southwest of the Lewis Pass in Lake Christabel, one of numerous small lakes on the western side of the Southern Alps, and runs ...

. South of the river, the land belonged to Westland. The river formed a provincial boundary until the dissolution of the provinces in 1877, with the southern side belonging to Westland and the northern side located in Nelson.

, Dobson, and Stillwater were included within the boundaries of the borough. There were four churches within the borough (Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic), three state schools (in Dobson, Taylorville, and Stillwater), and a private school run by Catholic nuns. The size of the borough was .

References

{{coord, 42, 25, 57, S, 171, 19, 22, E, region:NZ, display=title History of the West Coast, New Zealand Boroughs of New Zealand

History

Location and services

See also

References