Southland District

Southland
Southland District
Land area 30,400.94 km² (11,737.87 sq mi)
Population 30,600 (June 2015 estimate)[1]
Seat of District Council Invercargill*
*not part of Southland District

Southland District is a territorial authority in the South Island of New Zealand.

History

Southland District was formed through the 1989 local government reforms.[2] Four local authorities were amalgamated at that time: Wallace County, Winton Borough, Stewart Island and Southland County. John Casey, who was first elected onto Southland County Council in 1977, oversaw the amalgamation and was elected Southland District's first mayor in 1989.[3]

Geography

Southland District covers the majority of the land area of Southland Region, although the region also covers Gore District, Invercargill City and adjacent territorial waters. It has a land area of 30,400.94 km2, excluding inland waters such as Lake Te Anau, Lake Manapouri, and Lake Hauroko.

Southland District contains the towns of Winton, Riverton, Lumsden and Te Anau, and the islands south of Foveaux Strait:

The seat of the District Council is Invercargill, which, however, is not part of Southland District, but a territorial authority in its own right.

Two of New Zealand's largest national parks are within the boundaries of Southland District: Fiordland National Park, and Rakiura National Park (which covers most of Stewart Island / Rakiura).

Mayor

Main article: Mayor of Southland

The current district mayor is Gary Tong. He has held this position since 2013.

Council

The district council is made up of twelve elected members, from various ward areas, and like any other local authority is elected every three years.

Sister cities

References

  1. "Subnational Population Estimates: At 30 June 2015 (provisional)". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015. For urban areas, "Infoshare; Group: Population Estimates - DPE; Table: Estimated Resident Population for Urban Areas, at 30 June (1996+) (Annual-Jun)". Statistics New Zealand. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  2. "Role of Council". Southland District Council. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. Veltkamp Smith, Pat (29 June 2011). "Life of community works". The Southland Times. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  4. Cinque Terre Sister City agreement to be signed on Thursday (Southland District Council press release 24 March 2009)
  5. Wyong Shire Council (14 January 2010). "Councillors aren’t flippant when it comes to expenses". Retrieved 21 May 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 45°38′00″S 167°55′00″E / 45.6333333333°S 167.916666667°E / -45.6333333333; 167.916666667

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