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Chatham Islands Council

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Chatham Islands Council
Chatham Islands Council brand logo
Brand logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
Established1 November 1995 (1995-11-01); 30 years ago
Preceded byChatham Islands County Council
New session started
17 October 2025
Leadership
Greg Horler[1], Ind.
since 17 October 2025
Celine Gregory-Hunt[2], Ind.
since 5 November 2025
Bob Penter
since March 2026
Structure
Seats9 (including mayor)
Graph of the party split among 9 seats.
Political groups
  •   Independent (8)
  •   vacant (1)
Length of term
3 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
First election
14 October 1995
Last election
11 October 2025
Next election
14 October 2028
Meeting place
13 Waitangi Tuku Road, Waitangi
Website
cic.govt.nz

Chatham Islands Council (abbr. CIC) is the territorial authority for the Chatham Islands in New Zealand. It serves as the territory's local government. The current entity has existed since 1995, prior to which the Chatham Islands County Council was the local authority.

The governing body of the council has 8 councillors and is chaired by the mayor of Chatham Islands (currently Greg Horler since October 2025).

History

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Predecessors

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The Chatham Islands were incorporated into the Colony of New Zealand by the British in 1842. The first local government set up in the islands was the Chatham Islands Māori Council in 1900.[3]

Chatham Islands County was established in 1901,[4][5] though the Chatham Islands County Council was not established until 1926.[6][7]

Reform

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Succeeding the county council, the Chatham Islands Council was established on 1 November 1995 by the Chatham Islands Council Act 1995. The council's purpose is to administer the Chatham Islands and the adjoining sea, known as the "Chatham Islands Territory".[8]

Governing body

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Mayor

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One mayor is elected at-large; they chair meetings of the governing body and act as the head of local government in the territory.

Current composition

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The current members of the governing body of council are:[9][10]

Role PortraitName Affiliation
Mayor BERJAYA Greg Horler Independent
Deputy Celine Gregory-Hunt Independent
Councillor Keri Day Independent
Councillor Graeme Hoare Independent
Councillor Bridget Gibb Independent
Councillor Jenna Hoverd Independent
Councillor Jacqui Southcombe Independent
Councillor Nathaniel Whaitiri Independent
Councillor vacant[a] n/a

Powers, functions and services

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In New Zealand's local government system of territorial authorities and regional councils, Chatham Islands Council is unique. Under the Local Government Act 2002, it is a district council. No separate region exists for the Chatham Islands but unlike Auckland Council, the Chatham Islands Council is not formally designated as a unitary authority. Despite this it has select responsibilities that are usually assigned to a regional council.

The Chatham Islands Council Act 1995 modifies legislation including the Resource Management Act 1991 and Building Act 2004 so that Chatham Islands Council can perform its regional council functions. The council is excluded from some regional council functions. For example, it has no responsibility for public transport under the Land Transport Management Act 2003.

Environment Canterbury carries out some regional council functions (including freshwater, biosecurity, resource management consent and compliance, navigational safety and emergency management) for the Chatham Islands under contract.[11] In 2025, Chatham Islands Council was in negotiations with Auckland Council's council-controlled organisation Watercare for water services delivery.[12]

Under the Chatham Islands Council Act 1995, the council can levy dues on goods entering or leaving its district.[13] This revenue-gathering power is unique to the Chatham Islands Council.

Chief executive

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In December 2025, the Controller and Auditor-General of New Zealand launched an investigation into the Council's "sensitive expenditure and procurement" policies.[14] Paul Eagle announced he would step down as council chief executive at the end of February 2026.[15] Mayor Greg Horler had sought and obtained Eagle's resignation after obtaining a draft copy of the Auditor-General's report. In mid-March 2026, Auditor-General Grant Taylor released his report which found that previous mayor Monique Croon had allocated NZ$500,000 worth of funding from the Council's expenditure to renovate his council-owned house with new bathroom fittings, stainless steel benches, cabinets and NZ$18,000 worth of high-end Miele kitchen appliances. This funding allocation had come at a time when the cash-strapped council had been unable to fund and provide basic services.[16][17]

Elections

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The Chatham Islands Council comprises a mayor and eight councillors, all elected at-large by a first-past-the-post system.[18]

In February 2026, councillor Pita Thomas resigned from the council.[19] A by-election to fill the vacancy left by Thomas was to be held from 4 May to 5 June 2026,[20] but the council received no nominations.[21] In June 2026, the council reopened the by-election process, taking nominations for candidates between 11 June and 9 July 2026.[22] Five nominations were received and the by-election is due to take place between 17 August and 18 September 2026.[23]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Vacancy caused by the resignation of Councillor Pita Thomas.

References

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  1. ↑ "Local elections 2025 – Final election results". Chatham Islands Council. 16 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "Meet the team". Chatham Islands Council. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Rennie, Hugh (17 November 2022). "How the Chatham Islands overcame 150 years of misrule". Stuff. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  4. ↑ "Chatham Islands County Bill 1901 (144–2)". www.nzlii.org. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK, 1912". www3.stats.govt.nz. POPULATION ON ADJACENT ISLANDS. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  6. ↑ McLintock, A. H.; Jobberns, George. "CHATHAM ISLANDS". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 1966. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  7. ↑ Richards, Rhys. "Chatham Islands – Overview". teara.govt.nz. Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Chatham Islands Council Act 1995". New Zealand Legislation. New Zealand Government. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020. There is hereby constituted a district, to be known as The Chatham Islands Territory, which district comprises the islands known as the Chatham Islands and the area of the territorial sea adjoining those islands.
  9. ↑ "Meet the Team". Chatham Islands Council.
  10. ↑ "Local elections 2025". Chatham Islands Council.
  11. ↑ "Environment Canterbury to continue offering services to Chatham Islands Council » Chatham Islands Council". Home » Chatham Islands Council. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Planning for our future water services » Chatham Islands Council". Home » Chatham Islands Council. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "Council Dues & Charges » Chatham Islands Council". Home » Chatham Islands Council. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Auditor-General scrutinises Chatham Islands Council where Paul Eagle is CEO". RNZ. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  15. ↑ Vance, Andrea (12 February 2026). "Paul Eagle to quit Chatham Islands council amid auditor-general probe". The Post. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
  16. ↑ Milne, Jonathan (12 March 2026). "'I panicked': Ex-MP Paul Eagle admits altering contracts to gold-plate his council house". Newsroom. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  17. ↑ Hickman, Bill (12 March 2026). "Ex Chatham Islands Council chief executive Paul Eagle apologises as audit exposes 'excessive' spending". RNZ. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  18. ↑ "Elections 2025 are coming!". www.cic.govt.nz. Chatham Islands Council. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  19. ↑ Vance, Andrea (20 February 2026). "Back-to-back exits shake Chatham Islands council". The Post. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "By-election 2026". www.cic.govt.nz. Chatham Islands Council. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Public notice: Chatham Islands Council by-election, Chatham Islands Council. 27 March 2026. Accessed 19 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "Chatham Islands Councillor (At-large) Notice of By-election (2)". www.cic.govt.nz. Chatham Islands Council. Retrieved 15 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Further Notice of 2026 Councillor By-election". www.cic.govt.nz. Chatham Islands Council. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
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