Koromatua o Tauranga

Mayor of Tauranga

Mahé Drysdale was elected to be the Mayor of Tauranga after the 2024 local body elections.

About Mayor Mahé Drysdale

Mayor Mahé Drysdale

As Mayor of Tauranga, Mahé’s vision is to see Tauranga fulfil its potential, so it becomes known as New Zealand’s best city.

Our city’s population is growing, so he is focused on delivering the infrastructure and facilities that the Tauranga community needs and wants, while ensuring that every ratepayer dollar is spent smartly and efficiently.

Financial acumen

Mahé brings experience in accounting and financial management to the governance table having worked in investment and advisory roles for both Hobson Wealth and Forsyth Barr Limited. He has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Auckland in accounting and commercial law. He also completed a Graduate Diploma of Commerce in information technology. He worked in an accounting firm early in his career and is an ACA with Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CAANZ).

Sporting achievements

Mahé is a two-time Olympic Champion in 2012 and 2016 in the single scull and won the World Championship five times, so knows what it takes to set and achieve ambitious goals on the global stage.

Mahé was Flag Bearer and Team Captain of the New Zealand Olympic Team at the 2008 Games. He was the Supreme Halberg Award Winner in 2006 and winner of the Sportsman of the Year at the Halberg Awards 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016. He was inducted as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (M.N.Z.M) in 2009.

Since retiring from professional sport, Mahé has been a mentor and leader. He has been a strong advocate for elite athletes as a co-Chair of the Athletes Co-operative, which has sought to improve terms and conditions of elite athletes with High Performance Sport New Zealand.

A long-standing connection to Tauranga

Mahé was raised in Tauranga, attending Tauranga Primary School, Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Boys' College before heading to Auckland for his sixth form and then direct to University in Auckland. He took up the sport of rowing at university – he went on to have a very successful 22-year career in the sport.

His grandfather, the late Sir Robert Owens, served as Mayor of Tauranga (1968-1977) and Mount Maunganui (1971-1974).

He is married to Juliette and has three children.

Mahé welcomes the opportunity to be involved in the community and for people to share their views.

How to contact the mayor

Correspondence for the Mayor of Tauranga

Email mayor@tauranga.govt.nz if you have any general correspondence for the Mayor of Tauranga.

Media queries for the Mayor of Tauranga

Email communications@tauranga.govt.nz if you have a media query for the Mayor of Tauranga.

Follow the mayor on social media

Post a letter to the mayor

Mayor Mahé Drysdale
Private Bag 12022
Tauranga 3143

Invite the mayor to an event

Email maree.king@tauranga.govt.nz if you would like to invite the mayor to an event.

In your invitation, please describe the event, including:

Event name
Date and time of event
Location
An idea of who will be attending.
Duration of the event
Desired duration of the mayor’s attendance
Whether you would like the mayor to give a speech – if so, what you would like him to talk about and how long you would like the speech to be? (three to five minutes is the average length of a speech).

The mayor’s Executive Assistant will check his availability. If the mayor is not available, the mayor’s office may suggest that the invitation be extended to another Tauranga City Council elected representative.

For enquiries, please contact us on 07 577 7011.

For general council enquiries contact Tauranga City Council.

Watch Mayor Drysdale's video marking one-year in the job

News

Famous folks inspiring pet names in Tauranga

Jack Reacher, Jack Frost, and Jack Black are all living in Tauranga. Winnie the Pooh and Cindy Lou Who are here too. But they’re not the ones you might be thinking of… They’re actually dogs.

Tauranga’s dog-owning community love to choose unique monikers for their furry friends and take inspiration from all walks of life when selecting one.

Council’s Team Leader: Animal Services, Brent Lincoln, says seeing the individuality that comes through in the names is always a highlight.

“Every dog has a different personality, so it’s fun to see so many of them getting personal names from their people.

“At this time of year, when people are thinking about adding a new family member to the home, a lot of names are being considered.”

Angus McFluffy, Little Miss Scrufflebums, and Sir Pippin Wigglebutt do not share their name with any of the other 15,500 known dogs in the city.

Neither do Indiana Bones, Paint, or Oddball.

“In contrast, we know Charlie and Bella are always very popular here in the Bay of Plenty, but we do always wonder what characteristics our dogs with out-of-the-box names might have,” Brent adds.

In 2024, Charlie has dethroned Max as the most popular name for a dog in Tauranga. 190 Charlies call Tauranga home.

“Other names that are well-loved and well-used include Molly (148), Poppy (138), Ruby (119), and Rosie (114),” Brent adds.

Tauranga’s love affair with Labrador Retrievers also continues, as the breed remains the most popular with more than 1,800 registered.

“Staffordshire bull terriers, or staffies, are also well loved with nearly 900 living here. There are lots of border collies (796), Shih Tzus (724) and King Charles Cavalier Spaniels (717).

“We’re excited to see what 2025 holds for unique names, as well as which names and breeds remain popular.

“Who knows where you might look for inspiration for the name of your next pet?” Brent asks.