Porirua City Council
Porirua City Council coat of arms
Type
Type	City council of Porirua
Term limits	None
History
Preceded by	Porirua Borough Council
Leadership
Mayor	Anita Baker
Deputy Mayor	Kylie Wihapi
Structure
Seats	11 [a]
Political groups	Labour (2)   Independent (9)
Length of term	3 years
Elections
Voting system	STV
Last election	8 October 2022
Next election	11 October 2025
Meeting place
16 Cobham Court, Porirua
Website
poriruacity.govt.nz
Footnotes
^ One mayor, 10 councillors

The Porirua City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Porirua, New Zealand.

The council is made up of a mayor elected at-large and 10 councillors elected from two general wards (Onepoto General Ward and Pāuatahanui General Ward) and one Māori ward (Parirua Māori Ward). ^[1] They are elected using a single transferable vote system in triennial elections, with the most recent election being held in 2022.

The current mayor is Anita Baker.

History

Porirua was one of six ridings which made up Hutt County, established by the Counties Act 1876 as one of 12 counties which would replace the Wellington Province. ^[2] It elected 2 councillors to the Hutt County Council. ^[3]

In 1908, Makara County was separated from Hutt County, amalgamating the Porirua riding with the Makara riding and Tawa. ^{[2] [4]}

Following the construction of a new city on the site of the village of Porirua beginning in the 1950s, ^{[5] [6]} the autonomous Borough of Porirua was established in 1962. ^{[7] [8]} The rest of what had been the Makara County was re-incorporated into Hutt County as the Makara Riding. ^[2]

Porirua was declared to be a city in 1965. ^[9]

On 1 April 1973, the city of Porirua was expanded to include large areas to the north-east, transferred from Hutt County, along with Mana Island. ^[10] In 1988, it was further expanded to include the Horokiri riding, which contained most of Whitby, before Hutt County was abolished in the 1989 local government reforms. ^{[11] [12]}

Composition

Councillors

Coat of arms

Porirua City was granted a Coat of Arms by the Earl Marshal of England on 1 December 1965. The city officially adopted the coat of arms via a bylaw on 27 November 1969. ^[14]

Coat of arms of Porirua

Crest On a Wreath of the Colours in front of a Lymphad proper Sail set Pennon flying Gules Flags flying Azure a Whale proper. Escutcheon Vert two Piles Barry wavy of ten Argent and Azure Supporters On the dexter side a Private Soldier of the 58th Regiment of Foot in the uniform of the early Nineteenth Century and on the sinister side a Māori Warrior both proper. Motto Mo Te Katoa Nga Mahi (All That is Done is For the Benefit of All) Symbolism The green of the shield represents the rural countryside when Porirua was first settled. The blue and white triangles (Piles) symbolise the two arms of Porirua Harbour. The whale and "lymphad" (sailing ship) represent whaling, which was an important early industry in the area, and the many ships that visited the harbour. The 58th Regiment of Foot spent time in the Porirua area in the nineteenth century, and the Māori warrior represents the long settlement of Māori in the area.

Notable councillors

• Whitford Brown, the first Mayor of Porirua
• Ken Douglas, Unionist
• Ken Gray, All Black
• Gary McCormick, poet, radio and television personality
• Helen Smith, first member of the Values Party to be elected to local government

See also

• Territorial authorities bordering Porirua City Council:
  • Wellington City Council
  • Hutt City Council
  • Upper Hutt City Council
  • Kāpiti Coast District Council
• Greater Wellington Regional Council – the regional council covering Porirua

References

External link

• Official website