The Rangitikei District was established in 1989 as part of the
1989 local government reforms. Robert "Chalky" Leary was elected mayor in
2007; he had been a councillor for the
Hunterville ward since 2001. Leary was elected by receiving 1,639 votes or 31.0% of the votes with a majority of 233 votes or 4.4% over Marton ward councillor
Andy Watson. He was re-elected unopposed in
2010. The
2013 Rangitikei mayoral election saw incumbent mayor Leary facing challenges from former deputy mayor Andy Watson, Fresh Future Focus candidate Maree Brannigan and
Taihape ward councillor Richard Aslett. Watson was elected by obtaining 1,983 votes (41.5%) of the total votes and a majority of 486 (10.2%) defeating incumbent mayor Chalky Leary, who received 1,497 votes. Watson also won the
2016 Rangitikei mayoral election. He was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and won in 2022. ==List of mayors==