Mayor of Selwyn


The Mayor of Selwyn is the head of the municipal government of Selwyn District in New Zealand's South Island. The mayor is directly elected using a first-past-the-post electoral system. The immediate past mayor, Kelvin Coe, did not stand for re-election in the 2016 New Zealand local elections. The district's fifth mayor, Sam Broughton, was elected on 8 October 2016 in the 2016 New Zealand local elections.

History

Selwyn District was established as part of the 1989 local government reforms. It was formed from Ellesmere County, Malvern County, and part of Paparua County. The first mayor, Anne Hurford, is from an old Ellesmere farming family. The second mayor, Bill Woods, also held the mayoralty for one term. Woods is a perennial candidate and once stated to be "addicted" to elections; he is one of five candidates in the 2016 mayoral election. Michael McEvedy was mayor for four terms from 1995 to 2007, when he retired. Kelvin Coe took over from McEvedy in 2007, being successful against four other candidates. In the 2010 election, Coe defended himself against a challenge by former mayor Woods. At the 2013 election, there were six candidates for the mayoralty, but Coe remained successful. After three terms as mayor, Coe is standing down and five candidates are contesting the election, including former mayor Woods.

List of mayors of Selwyn

Selwyn has had four mayors.
NameTerm
1Anne Hurford1989–1992
2Bill Woods1992–1995
3Michael McEvedy1995–2007
4Kelvin Coe2007–2016
5Sam Broughton2016–present