Central Hawke's Bay District Council (

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

: ''Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Tamatea'') is the

territorial authority Territorial authorities (Māori language, Māori: ''mana ā-rohe'') are a tier of local government in New Zealand, alongside regions of New Zealand, regional councils. There are 67 territorial authorities: 13 list of cities in New Zealand, city ...

for the

Central Hawke's Bay District Central Hawke's Bay District is in the Hawke's Bay Region in the North Island of New Zealand. Formed in 1989, it covers an area of 3,333 square kilometres, from Pukehou in the north to Takapau in the south, and from the western Ruahine Range to ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. The council covers the towns of

Waipawa Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay (district), Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of The town is located northeast of Waipukurau and southwest of Hastings, New Zeal ...

and

Waipukurau Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings, New ...

, and the surrounding rural communities. The council is the result of the Waipukurau District Council and Waipara District Council merging in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

. The council is led by the mayor of Central Hawke's Bay, who is currently Alex Walker.

Composition

Central Hawke's Bay District Council is made up of one mayor and eight councillors. The district is divided into two wards, which each elect four councillors. Ruataniwha is an urban ward based on the towns of Waipukurau and Waipawa. Aramoana-Ruahine is a largely rural ward. The council seat is in Waipawa. The mayor is elected at large. The council seat is in

History

The origins of the council date back to the Waipawa County Council, established in 1876. Patangata County Council split off in 1885. Waipukurau County Council, Waipukurau Borough Council, Patangata County Council, Woodville County Council, Dannevirke County Council, and Waipawa Borough Council split off in 1908.White, L. (compiler), ''Whites Pictorial Reference of New Zealand.'' Whites Aviation Limited, Auckland, 1952 Waipukurau County Council merged with Patangata County Council in 1974 and Waipukurau Borough Council in 1977 to form Waipukurau District Council. The other councils merged in 1978, to form Waipawa District Council. Waipukurau District Council and Waipawa District Council merged in 1989, to create the modern council.

2022–2025 term

Māori wards

Following the decision of the Sixth National Government to force local councils to either abolish Māori wards or hold a referendum on their continued existence, the council voted in a 5–4 decision to retain them and thus to hold a referendum, to occur alongside the 2025 local elections.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{coord, -39.9441448, 176.5822655, display=title Politics of Hawke's Bay Territorial authorities of New Zealand