Napier City Council
Napier City Council Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri | |
|---|---|
| Territorial authority | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | March 18, 1950, 76 years ago |
| Preceded by | Napier Borough Council |
| Leadership | |
Graeme Taylor | |
CEO | Louise Miller |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 12 seats (1 mayor, 11 ward seats) |
Political groups | Independent (12)[a] |
Length of term | 3 years, renewable |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 11 October 2025 |
Next election | 2028 |
| Meeting place | |
| House Dunvegan in Napier CBD, temporary main office | |
| Website | |
| Napier.govt.nz | |
Napier City Council (Māori: Te Kaunihera o Ahuriri) is the territorial authority of Napier, a city in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island.
The council covers the urban and suburban areas of the city, including Central Napier, Bay View, Onekawa, Ahuriri, Taradale, and Meeanee, amongst others. The council is the successor of the former borough council; Napier was proclaimed a city in 1950.
The council is led by the mayor of Napier, who is currently Richard McGrath[2].
Composition
Napier City Council is made up of one mayor and 13 councillors, representing four wards.
| Ward | Councillor | Affiliation | First elected | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Richard McGrath | Commonsense change, needs before wants | 2025 | |
| Ahuriri general ward | Roger Brownlie | Independent | 2025 | |
| Keith Price | Independent | 2007 | ||
| Sally Crown | Experienced, Strong, Grounded | 2019 | ||
| Napier Central general ward | Greg Mawson | Working with you, for you | 2019 | |
| Craig Morley | Get back to basics | 2025 | ||
| Te Kira Lawrence | Independent | 2025 | ||
| Taradale general ward | Graeme Taylor (Deputy mayor) | Independent | 2010 | |
| Ronda Chrystal | Independent | 2019 | ||
| Nigel Simpson | Independent | 2019 | ||
| Te Whanga Māori ward | Shyann Raihania | None | 2025 | |
| Whare Isaac-Sharland | None | 2025 | ||
In October 2025, newly elected mayor Richard McGrath chose third-term councillor Sally Crown to be his deputy mayor.[5] On 23 February 2026, McGrath asked Crown to resign as deputy mayor or be removed, claiming a breakdown in their relationship. On 24 February 2026, after Crown refused to resign, McGrath stood her down as his deputy.[6][7] Later in February, McGrath named first-term councillor Roger Brownlie as deputy mayor.[8] However, following a meeting between McGrath and councillors, Brownlie resigned from the role and in March councillors elected sixth-term councillor Graeme Taylor as deputy mayor.[9][10][11]
Committees
Standing committees
Napier City Council has four standing committees, made up of the 13 elected councillors:[12]
- Napier People and Places Committee
- Prosperous Napier Committee
- Sustainable Napier Committee
- Future Napier Committee
Specialist committees
The council also has several specialist committees:[12]
- Māori Committee, consisting of the mayor and five iwi representatives
- Hearings Committee, consisting of five councillors
- Audit and Risk Committee, consisting of five councillors and two external independent appointee
- Chief Executive Contract Committee, consisting of five councillors
- District Licensing Committee, consisting of an external commissioner and four list members
Advisory panels
The council has two sub-committees and advisory panels:[12]
- Grants Sub-Committee, consisting of two councillors and four community representatives
- Arts Advisory Committee, consisting of one councilor and five arts representatives
Joint committees
The council also participates in several joint committees:[12]
- Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee
- Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Joint Committee
- Hawke’s Bay Drinking Water Joint Committee
- Hawke’s Bay Regional Transport Committee
- Heretaunga Plains Urban Development Strategy Implementation Working Party
- Joint Alcohol Strategy Advisory Group
- Joint Waste Futures Project Steering Committee
- Omarunui Joint Refuse Landfill Committee
- Regional Cycling Governance Group
- Te Komiti Muriwai o Te Whanga
Council Controlled Organisations
The council is involved in three council-controlled organisations:[12]
- Hawke’s Bay Museums Trust
- Omarunui Landfill
- Hawke's Bay Airport
Notes
- ^ includes councillors that had unique and non-notable affiliations
References
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections Declaration of Result" (PDF). Electionz. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
- ^ "Mayor and Councillors". Napier City Council. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ "2025 Triennial Elections DECLARATION OF RESULT" (PDF). www.electionz.com. Napier City Council. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Hamilton-Irvine, Gary (20 October 2025). "Local elections 2025: Deputy mayors chosen for Napier, Hastings, Wairoa; final regional councillor elected". Hawke's Bay Today. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ^ Hall, Linda (24 February 2026). "'Blindsided': Napier Mayor stands down deputy". Hawke's Bay Today. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Sharpe, Marty (24 February 2026). "Napier mayor tries to sack deputy - she's not having a bar of it". Stuff. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ^ Hall, Linda (27 February 2026). "'We can move on': Napier mayor names his new deputy mayor after sacking previous one". RNZ. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
- ^ Laing, Doug (17 March 2026). "Napier's third deputy mayor in less than a month voted in". Hawke's Bay Today. The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ Sharpe, Marty (24 March 2026). "Documents reveal disharmony between Napier Mayor and councillors". Stuff. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ "New deputy for Napier mayor". www.napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council. 17 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Napier City Council Committees". napier.govt.nz. Napier City Council.