Marlborough District Council

Marlborough District Council (Māori: Te Tauihu-o-te-waka) is the unitary local authority for the Marlborough District of New Zealand.^[1]

Marlborough District Council Te Tauihu-o-te-waka
History
Founded	1 November 1989 (1989-11-01)
Leadership
Mayor	Nadine Taylor
Structure
Seats	14 (1 mayor, 13 ward seats)
Committees	5 committees, 13 sub-committees, 1 joint committee
Length of term	3 years
Meeting place
Blenheim
Website
www.marlborough.govt.nz

The council is led by the mayor of Marlborough, who is currently Nadine Taylor. There are 13 councillors representing three wards.^[1]

History

The council was formed on 1 November 1989, replacing Blenheim Borough Council (1869–1989), Picton Borough Council (1876–1989) and Marlborough County Council (1876–1989).^[2]

In 2020, the council had 275 staff, including 43 earning more than $100,000. According to the right-wing Taxpayers' Union think tank, residential rates averaged $2,602.^[3]

Composition

There are seven Blenheim Ward councillors: Brian Dawson, David Croad, Jamie Arbuckle, Jenny Andrews, Mark Peters, Michael Fitzpatrick, and Thelma Sowman.^[4]

There are three Marlborough Sounds Ward councillors: deputy mayor Nadine Taylor, Barbara Faulls, and David Oddie.^[4]

There are three Wairau-Awatere Ward councillors: Cynthia Brooks, Francis Maher and Gerald Hope.^[4]

Committees

The council has these committees:

• Assets and Services Committee, with sub-committees for Civil Defence Emergency Management, Parking, and Regional Transport
• Conduct Review Committee
• Environment Committee, with subcommittees for Animal Control and Resource Hearings
• Planning Finance and Community Committee, with subcommittees for Audit and Risk, the Commercial Events Fund, Grants, Housing for Seniors, Sister Cities, the Small Townships Programme, Te Ao Māori and Youth^[5]

The council also has a District Licensing Committee for alcohol issues, and a Marlborough Regional Forestry Joint Committee with Kaikoura District Council.^[5]