Rachel Hadley Reese (born ) is a New Zealand local-body politician. She was the

mayor of Nelson The mayor of Nelson is the head of the municipal government of Nelson, New Zealand, and presides over the Nelson City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a single transferable vote electoral system. The current mayor is Nick Smith, wh ...

from

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

to 2022. She was

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

's first female mayor.

Early life and education

Reese was born in

Mosgiel Mosgiel (Māori: ''Te Konika o te Matamata'') is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin ...

and grew up in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. She attended St Hilda's Collegiate School, leaving at aged 16 to enter the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate ...

from where she graduated with a commerce degree at age 19. She also has Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Dispute Resolution) from Massey University and is a qualified Mediator and Arbitrator. She has worked in

Mount Isa Mount Isa ( ) is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, base ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in Australia, as well as in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. She moved to Nelson in about 1997, her family having connections in the area, with her parents owning property on Arapaoa Island in the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. According to Māori ...

. Reese is an accredited Resource Management Commissioner (Chair) and a member of the Resource Management Law Association. She ran a Resource Management Consultancy in Nelson for 15 years prior to entering politics.

Political career

Reese was first elected to the Nelson City Council in 2007. She was again elected in 2010 when she became deputy mayor, losing the mayoral race to Aldo Miccio with 4722 votes to his 6077. In 2013 she was elected mayor, beating Miccio by 7477 votes to 6048 in a 48.74% voter turnout. Rachel Reese romped to victory again in the 2016 local body election securing over 60 per cent of the vote having received 11,364 of a total 18,707 votes. Her closest opponent, current councillor Peter Rainey received 5,050. In 2016 Reese was elected onto the

Local Government New Zealand Local Government New Zealand Te Kahui Kaunihera ō Aotearoa (LGNZ) is the local government association of New Zealand. It represents the interests of the regional, city, and district councils in New Zealand. History The Association was form ...

national council and in June 2017 was nominated for the role of President following the announcement that current President,

Lawrence Yule Lawrence Arden Yule (born 1963) is a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Hastings from 2001 to 2017, and a Member of Parliament representing the Tukituki electorate for the National Party from 2017 to 2020. Political career Mayor of Hastin ...

, was standing down. Reese is also Deputy of the Regional Sector and her Central Government appointments have included the Rules Reduction Taskforce, the Local Government RM Advisory Group and the Working Group on Representation, Governance and Accountability of new Water Services Entities. In 2018 Reese was awarded the

Paul Harris Fellowship Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

by the Rotary Club of Nelson for her contribution as a community leader. October 2019 Reese won her third term as Mayor against a crowded field of contenders including former Nelson MP

Mel Courtney Melvyn Francis Courtney (born 2 October 1943) is a Nelson City Councillor and a former Labour then Independent Member of Parliament for Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand. Early life and family Courtney was born in Christchurch on 2 ...

and current councillors Bill Dahlberg and Tim Skinner. In 2019 she was the first New Zealander to be awarded a

Vital Voices Vital Voices Global Partnership is an American international, 501(c)(3), non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organiz ...

international fellowship, a programme supporting outstanding women political leaders. Founded by former US Secretaries of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

and

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

, Vital Voices is part of a United States-based programme to increase the capacity, decision-making power and effectiveness of women leaders in public life.

Personal life

Reese married her long-time partner, English-born former cricketer Richard Harden, in January 2017. They have three children between them.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, Rachel 1960s births Living people Mayors of Nelson, New Zealand Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand People from Mosgiel New Zealand expatriates in Australia University of Otago alumni People educated at St Hilda's Collegiate School Women mayors of places in New Zealand