Latest News
Former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis has died, aged 87
Former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis – one of the country’s longest serving mayors – has died at the age of 87.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says Sir Barry leaves “an enormous legacy”.
He led Manukau City from 1983 to 2007 at a time when the city was expanding rapidly.
In a post on the Auckland Council website, Brown said he knew Curtis well.
“He was a hugely influential figure in local politics and a pioneer as Mayor of Manukau City Council for 24 years. He was the country’s longest serving mayor at the time,” Brown said.
“He was known for his booming trademark voice and was a genuine champion of the communities he served over a 40-year career in local government.”
The council post said Curtis was a dedicated public servant who devoted nearly 40 years of his life to serving the people of Manukau and Auckland.
Councillor Alf Filipaina said Curtis was a dear friend and colleague.
“Sir Barry championed an approach dubbed the ‘Manukau Way,’ which balanced economic progress with community welfare and fostered inclusive partnerships, particularly with iwi through early engagement on issues like the Manukau Harbour claim and Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities,” he said.
Auckland councillor Alf Filipaina at the Māngere centre. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
“From my perspective, part of his legacy will be about uniting diverse communities and ensuring that Manukau plays a significant contribution to Auckland’s economic, social, and cultural advancement.”
Having entered local government in 2003, Filipaina recalled one of his earliest lessons as a new councillor, telling RNZ he learned quickly to be well versed on the details of council meeting agenda items and unbudgeted funding requests under Curtis’ watch.
This was after he voted for one of his colleague’s recommendations at his first ever council meeting, only to be pulled up by the mayor afterwards.
“I felt sorry for the councillor because I knew he wasn’t going to get the recommendation through, so I sided with him.
“We finished the meeting and [Sir Barry] walked past me without losing a stride and he goes: ‘Never ever vote for something that will increase the rates’.
“I was like oops. It felt like I got told off by the principal.”
Filipaina and a colleague had lunch with Curtis as recently as Friday.
“His mind was very sharp. He was still giving us advice,” he said.
“I just have a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him.”
Curtis was backed by the right-leaning Residents and Ratepayers Association in his mayoral tenure, but was known for working well with the dominant Labour group on the council.
When he retired he said was proud of his working-class background, Auckland Council said.
“I came from a poor family and my father was a waterside worker. That is why I know how it feels to be born on the wrong side of the tracks. I never forget that,” he said.
Curtis consistently identified health, housing, education and lack of jobs as Manukau’s main problems, and called on the government to take a more interventionist approach.
He was knighted in 1992 for his services to local government and community.
Manukau City was one of four cities in the Auckland region before they merged with the Auckland Regional Council and three district councils to become what was known as the super city in 2011.
rnz
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large
New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals
Parliamentary Service working on extra chairs and offices for increased number of MPs
-
Latest News2 months ago‘Chilling’: Business groups speak out against National’s supermarket break-up plan
-
NZ News2 months agoTom Phillips report: The missed opportunities to find the children
-
Politics2 months agoNational vows to try to split Pak’nSave and New World
-
Latest News2 months agoCars bearing Chinese police markings stir unease in Auckland
-
Fiji News2 months agoPlans to have new Constitution by Dec 24th 2026
-
NZ News2 months agoCop who stole $68,000 can now be named as champion Muay Thai fighter Haimona Tamati-Te Paki
-
Politics2 months agoMBIE confirms botched biometric projects costs blown out to $50.7 million
-
Latest News2 months agoFive Karangahape Road venues lose their liquor licences after police intervention