Dave Cull


David Charles Cull, JP was the mayor of the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. He became the 57th Mayor of Dunedin in October 2010 and was re-elected in both the 2013 mayoralty race and 2016 mayoral election. Before politics, he was a presenter for Television New Zealand and an author.

Early life and career before politics

Cull was born and grew up in Invercargill, where he attended Southland Boys' High School. He obtained a BA and PG Dip in political science at the University of Otago. He has worked as a television presenter for Television New Zealand, hosting lifestyle and home improvement shows including Home Front, and is a writer who has published several books. He is married to Joan Wilson and they have two daughters.

Political career

David Cull was elected to the Dunedin City Council in 2007. During his time as a councillor, he opposed the new stadium, which has since become a financial drain on the council. In the 2010 Dunedin mayoral election, he was one of seven candidates, one of whom was incumbent mayor Peter Chin. Cull stood as part of the Greater Dunedin group and was successful. He took office as mayor on 27 October 2010.
Cull expressed support for a controversial planned waterfront hotel that at 28 storeys, would tower over much of the city. In March 2014, Cull entered a memorandum of understanding with the developer on behalf of Dunedin City Council, but the agreement fell over and was terminated a month later, which meant the end of the project.
In January 2013, Cull announced that he would seek re-election in that year's mayoral election. On election day, he beat ex ACT MP Hilary Calvert, Councillor Lee Vandervis, and six other challengers.
In July 2017, Cull was elected as the president of Local Government New Zealand. He had previously served as the organisation's vice-president and chair of its metro committee.
In late May 2019, Cull announced he would not seek re-election at that year's mayoral election. In mid August 2019, Cull announced that he would be contesting local body elections for the Southern District Health Board; he was elected, and then appointed as the Board's Chair in December 2019.