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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

New waterfront boardwalk and rail underpass enhance coastal experience in the city centre

New waterfront boardwalk and rail underpass enhance coastal experience in the city centre

Another milestone in connecting our city centre with Te Awanui Tauranga Harbour is complete with the opening of the city centre’s new boardwalk and rail underpass today.

The shared pathway, a 170m long boardwalk, hugs the water’s edge, connecting the southern end of The Strand to the rail underpass next to the Harbourside restaurant.

Now, residents and visitors alike can enjoy a stroll or cycle from the city centre along the harbour-edge and up through the new Tunks Reserve walkway to Elizabeth Street.

Features of the boardwalk and rail underpass include several seating areas, pathway lighting and a large platform space for people to take in the harbour views.

Tauranga City Council City Development and Partnership General Manager, Gareth Wallis, says it’s great to see members of the community already using the boardwalk to enjoy the harbour, or to find a quiet moment to relax on their lunch break.

“Coming into Spring with warmer weather and longer days, I’m loving seeing so many of our community experiencing the freshly opened space already. There’s plenty of room to take in the tranquil harbour views, to pause and reflect while enjoying being close to our natural environment.”

Project Manager Ali Mehr says the project’s completion marks another chapter in the city centre as it continues along its revitalisation journey.

“The boardwalk and railway underpass focus on reconnecting the city centre to its rich waterfront heritage while acknowledging the site’s significance to mana whenua.”

The opening of the boardwalk and railway underpass joins the recently reopened and upgraded Masonic Park, as part of the city centre transformation.

For more information about these and all the other projects happening in the city centre, please visit: www.tauranga.govt.nz/ourfuturecitycentre

Posted: Oct 15, 2024,

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