Invercargill City Council

The site that would go on to become Invercargill was selected and streets laid out by the chief surveyor for the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson, in 1856. Following a public meeting on 14 March 1871 to discuss the establishment of the Invercargill municipality, notice of the incorporation of the town of Invercargill was published in the Otago Provincial Gazette on 28 June 1871. Borough elections for the first Mayor of Invercargill were then held on 26 August 1871, with the election of the eight councillors taking place later on 5 September 1871. The council held its inaugural meeting on 11 September 1871. In 1909, Gladstone, Avenal, North Invercargill and East Invercargill were amalgamated into Invercargill Borough. In 2026, the mana whenua position for Te Rūnanga o Awarua was suspended at their request. ==Composition==

Councillors Community board The council has created a local community board, under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, to represent Bluff. The Bluff Community Board consists of five elected members and two councillors appointed by the council. The community board is intended to provide advice to the city council regarding the interests of the Bluff community. ==Coat of arms==

The city of Invercargill has a coat of arms, which was first proposed in 1956 for Invercargill’s centenary and granted by the Lord Lyon King of Arms on 25 July 1958. The coat of arms is used as an official seal for the council. ==Notable council members==

• William Wood – former member of parliament, first Mayor of Invercargill 1871–1873 • James Walker Bain – former member of parliament, mayor 1891–1892 • William Denham – former member of parliament, councillor 1928– • Tim Shadbolt – mayor 1993–1995 and 1998–2022 • Lesley Soper – former member of parliament, councillor 2016– • Lloyd Esler – natural history teacher, columnist, councillor 2010–2019 • Marcus Lush – television and radio presenter, councillor 2021–2022 ==See also==