Invercargill City Council

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

The council is made up of an elected mayor and 12 councillors elected at-large. They are elected using First-past-the-post voting in triennial elections, with the most recent election being held in 2022. The current mayor is.

History
The site that would go on to become Invercargill was selected and streets laid out by the chief surveyor for the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson, in 1856.

Following a public meeting on 14 March 1871 to discuss the establishment of the Invercargill municipality, notice of the incorporation of the town of Invercargill was published in the Otago Provincial Gazette on 28 June 1871.

Borough elections for the first Mayor of Invercargill were then held on 26 August 1871, with the election of the eight councillors taking place later on 5 September 1871. The electorate for these first elections consisted of Invercargill property owners. The council held its inaugural meeting on 11 September 1871.

The Invercargill Town Hall and Civic Theatre, opened in November 1906, was initially built for the council. Previously the council had sat in what had been the Southland Provincial Council Chambers.

In 1909, Gladstone, Avenal, North Invercargill and East Invercargill were amalgamated into Invercargill Borough.

In 1929 or 1930, Invercargill Borough gained city status. In 1956, the borough of South Invercargill was amalgamated into the city.

Most of the city council staff left the Civic Theatre for newly built council offices in the 1960s, though the Council Chamber and committee room remain in use.

The modern borders of the city of Invercargill took shape when Bluff was amalgamated in the local government reforms of 1989.

Since 2021, the council has appointed two mana whenua representatives nominated by local runaka. They do not have voting rights at full council meetings but may vote in committee meetings.

Community board
The council has created a local community board, under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, to represent Bluff. The Bluff Community Board consists of five elected members and two councillors appointed by the council.

The community board is intended to provide advice to the city council regarding the interests of the Bluff community.

Coat of arms
The city of Invercargill has a coat of arms, which was first proposed in 1956 for Invercargill’s centenary and granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms on 25 July 1958. The coat of arms is used as an official seal for the council.

Notable councillors

 * William Wood – former member of parliament, first Mayor of Invercargill 1871–1873
 * James Walker Bain – former member of parliament, mayor 1891–1892
 * Tim Shadbolt – mayor 1993–1995 and 1998–2022
 * William Denham – former member of parliament, councillor 1928–
 * Lesley Soper – former member of parliament, councillor 2016–
 * Lloyd Esler – natural history teacher, columnist, councillor 2010–2019
 * Marcus Lush – television and radio presenter, councillor 2021–2022