Porirua City Council

Local government in the Porirua basin began on 1 June 1854 with the Porirua Road Board being declared in the Wellington Provincial Council Gazette.^[5][6] Road boards were set up by the provincial governments to develop and maintain local and district roads.^[7]

The first election for the Porirua Road District, held under the District Highways Act 1856, took place on 20 September 1856. On 7 November 1864, the Takapu Road District was declared and wardens for the district were elected annually. The Wellington Highway District Board (Hutt County) was given control of the district in 1872.^[5]

In 1876, Makara and Porirua ridings were made part of the Karori-Makara Highway Board and elections were conducted.^[5] Later that year, Porirua was established as one of six ridings making up Hutt County, which in turn was established by the Counties Act 1876 as one of 12 counties which would replace the Wellington Province.^[8] It elected 2 councillors to the Hutt County Council.^[9]

In 1908, Makara County, an amalgamation of the Porirua riding with the Makara riding and Tawa, was separated from Hutt County.^[8][10] The first elections for Makara County were held on 28 January 1908.^[5]

Following the construction of a new business district on the site of the village of Porirua beginning in the 1950s,^[11][12] the autonomous Borough of Porirua was established on 1 September 1962, the day after Makara County was abolished.^[5][13][14] The rest of what had been the Makara County was re-incorporated into Hutt County as the Makara Riding.^[8] Tawa had already separated from the county to form its own Town Board in 1951.^[5]

Porirua was declared to be a city in 1965 by Governor-general Sir Bernard Fergusson.^[5][15]

On 1 April 1973, the city of Porirua was expanded to include large areas to the north-east and some to the south, transferred from Hutt County, along with Mana Island.^[16] In 1988, it was further expanded to include the Horokiri riding, which contained most of Whitby and large rural areas, before Hutt County was abolished in the 1989 local government reforms, which transferred to Wellington City most of the southern fringe areas that had been added in 1973 – notably the Takapu Valley and Arohata.^[17][18]

The 10 councillors are elected from three wards: Onepoto General Ward, Pāuatahanui General Ward, and Parirua Māori Ward.

Candidates standing in the general wards are elected by voters registered on the general electoral roll, while those standing in the Māori ward are elected by voters registered on the Māori electoral roll.^[23]

The Parirua Māori Ward elects 1 councillor and covers the whole city of Porirua.

The Parirua Māori Ward was established following a council vote in May 2021, a representation review and an appeal to the Local Government Commission which upheld its establishment.^[23][24]

The Onepoto General Ward elects 5 councillors and covers:^[23][25]

The Pāuatahanui General Ward elects 4 councillors and covers:^[23][25]

Porirua City was granted a Coat of Arms by the Earl Marshal of England on 1 December 1965. The city officially adopted the coat of arms via a bylaw on 27 November 1969.^[26]

Coat of arms of Porirua

Crest On a Wreath of the Colours in front of a Lymphad proper Sail set Pennon flying Gules Flags flying Azure a Whale proper. Escutcheon Vert two Piles Barry wavy of ten Argent and Azure Supporters On the dexter side a Private Soldier of the 58th Regiment of Foot in the uniform of the early Nineteenth Century and on the sinister side a Māori Warrior both proper. Motto Mo Te Katoa Nga Mahi (All That is Done is For the Benefit of All) Symbolism The green of the shield represents the rural countryside when Porirua was first settled. The blue and white triangles (Piles) symbolise the two arms of Porirua Harbour. The whale and "lymphad" (sailing ship) represent whaling, which was an important early industry in the area, and the many ships that visited the harbour. The 58th Regiment of Foot spent time in the Porirua area in the nineteenth century, and the Māori warrior represents the long settlement of Māori in the area.

The city of Porirua first adopted a flag in 1978 following a competition for designs among local schools, with the winning design being submitted by John Mansfield of Papakowhai School. This flag consisted of a yellow cross on a green background with the coat of arms superimposed over it. After the 1989 local government reforms, the new Porirua City Council did not seek to continue use of this flag.^[27]

The present flag of Porirua was adopted on 30 September 1998.^[27] It has several blue stripes, and a green shape to symbolise the city's harbour and land. The canton optionally features the coat of arms.^[28]

• Whitford Brown, the first Mayor of Porirua
• Ken Douglas, trade union leader
• Ken Gray, All Black
• Gary McCormick, poet, radio and television personality
• Helen Smith, first member of the Values Party to be elected to local government
• Rex Willing