What does the Mayor's Role Involve?

The role of Mayor is an important and highly visible one, but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes too.

The Mayor provides leadership to the council and communities in Ōtautahi and leads the development of Council plans, including the Annual and Long Term Plans. The Mayor also sets up the structure of Council with committees, committee chairs and the Deputy Mayor.

Leading the Elected Council

The mayor is elected to represent all of the people of Ōtautahi Christchurch and working collaboratively with all of the councillors that residents have elected is important to achieve that.

Chairing Council meetings is the most visible role of the Mayor, so they need to know Standing Orders, the rules by which meetings are run, and to represent the decisions of Council once they are made. 

The Mayor and Deputy work closely with the Chief Executive to set the agenda for Council meetings, scrutinising the agenda and calling for additional reports or information if needed. 

The Mayor also leads the Chief Executive Committee that manages the relationship with the CE as the elected Council’s only employee, who runs the organisation. The Mayor also leads the relationship that elected members have with mana whenua and the local Papatipu Rūnunga.

Leading the Development of the Long Term Plan

The Long Term Plan sets out the levels of service that residents can expect from council, the organisation's work programme and how it is to be funded for a period of ten years. It’s the Mayor’s role to lead the development of the LTP and make sure that the process leads to a budget that is able to be voted on and adopted by Council. A Mayor can put up their own proposals for consideration by councillors and can lead a plan that has options for consultation with the community.

Representing Ōtautahi Christchurch at a National and International Level

The Mayor represents Council’s interests on external groups such as the Regional Mayoral Forum, Regional Civil Defence Group and Greater Christchurch Partnership. The Mayor also used to have a position on the National Council for Local Government New Zealand until we voted to leave in 2023.

The Mayor is the key advocate for Ōtautahi Christchurch and meets with Government Ministers and local MPs on matters of significance to the city. Fronting Council submissions on legislation that impacts our city to selected committees, and championing Ōtautahi’s interests to get policy or financial support from government and government agencies is part of that mahi.

They also host international trade or diplomatic delegations. Some of the key ones relate to our position as one of only five Antarctic Gateway Cities – a highly competitive and sought after role.

Civic Duties

The Mayor is invited to open or speak at hundreds of community events, conferences and functions during their term and while they cannot attend all of them, it is a big commitment in the evenings and weekends throughout the year. 

There are also official duties to perform, such as hosting citizenship ceremonies on behalf of the New Zealand Government and declaring civil defence emergencies as directed through legislation and with official advice.