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List of cities in New Zealand
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== History of cities == Prior to 1876, there was no official definition of a city or uniform system of local authorities in New Zealand. There is thus some argument over which settlement was the first city in New Zealand.<ref name=Brett2020>{{cite journal |last1=Brett |first1=André |date=16 January 2020 |title=Claims, confusion, and status: Which city is New Zealand's oldest? |url=https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5144&context=lhapapers |journal=New Zealand Geographer |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1111/nzg.12246}}</ref> ===Letters patent=== Traditionally in the United Kingdom (the former colonial power of New Zealand), [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] is a special status granted by the [[British monarchy|monarch]], usually by the issuing of [[letters patent]]. Between the 16th century and [[Local Government Act 1888|1888]], city status was associated with the presence of a diocesan [[cathedral]]. In 1841 the [[Diocese of New Zealand]] was established, based in Auckland, however no letters patent were ever issued. The Diocese of New Zealand was split in 1856 with the southern part becoming the [[Anglican Diocese of Christchurch|Diocese of Christchurch]]. Christchurch was subsequently issued letters patent by [[Queen Victoria]] and became the "City of Christchurch".<ref name=CCL>{{cite web|title=City of Christchurch European Settlement: Historical Note|website=Christchurch City Libraries|url=https://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/christchurch-european-settlement/|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref> Despite the formation of other [[diocese]]s in New Zealand, the only other city to be subsequently issued letters patent was Nelson in 1858.<ref name=Brett2020/><ref>{{cite web|title=Nelson becomes a City|website=The Prow|url=https://www.theprow.org.nz/events/nelson-becomes-a-city/|access-date=18 September 2023|date=14 May 2020}}</ref> ===Electorates=== Under the Provincial Councils Act 1851, the [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor]] had the right to establish [[New Zealand electorates|electorates]] for provincial legislative councils.<ref>{{cite web|title=Provincial Councils Act 1851|date=9 July 1851|publisher=[[New Zealand Legislative Council]]|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/pca185115v1851n6338/}}</ref> On 21 May 1852, Governor [[George Grey]] proclaimed electorates for [[New Ulster Province|New Ulster]]. Although the proclamation explicitly defined Auckland as a "town" for the purpose of [[Property qualification|property franchise]], it later defined the electorate "[[City of Auckland (New Zealand electorate)|City of Auckland]]". This ambiguous proclamation was the first official use of the term "city" in New Zealand legislation. The electorates of New Munster were also declared a short time later on 1 June. Likewise, Wellington was described as a town for property franchise, but more ambiguously established an electorate referred in different parts of the proclamation as either "[[Wellington (New Zealand electorate)|City of Wellington]]" or "Town of Wellington". The provinces of New Ulster and New Munster were disestablished only a month later by the [[New Zealand Constitution Act 1852]], however, the electorates of both "City of Auckland" and "City of Wellington" were carried forward to the [[1853 New Zealand general election|first nationwide election of 1853]].<ref name=Brett2020/> ===City councils=== The first [[municipal council]] to bear the title of "city council" was the Auckland City Council formed in 1854 by act of the [[Auckland Province#Auckland Provincial Council|Auckland Provincial Council]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Auckland City Council Act| publisher=Auckland Provincial Council|date=6 February 1854|url=http://www8.austlii.edu.au/nz/legis/auk_ord/acco1854256/}}</ref> Following the election of an anti-taxation [[superintendent (New Zealand)|superintendent]] in March 1855, [[William Brown (New Zealand politician)|William Brown]], the Auckland City Council was dissolved and formally disestablished 1856.<ref name=Brett2020/> A new [[Auckland City Council]] would be established in 1871, which was later was merged into [[Auckland Council]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Timeline of previous local government agencies 1862–2010|website=Auckland Council|url=https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/arts-culture-heritage/heritage/archives/Documents/previous-local-government-agencies.pdf|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref> The [[Christchurch City Council]] was formed by an act of the [[Canterbury Province|Canterbury Provincial Council]] which received [[Royal assent]] on 31 January 1863.<ref>{{cite web|title=Christchurch City Council Ordinance 1862| publisher=Canterbury Provincial Council|date=31 January 1863 |url=http://www6.austlii.edu.au/nz/legis/can_ord/ccco1862323/}}</ref> The council has been active since and is therefore the longest continuously operating city council in New Zealand.<ref name=Brett2020/><ref name=CCL/> A legal oddity also provides Dunedin with a minor claim to being New Zealand's oldest city. Legal disputes over the powers that the [[Otago Province|Otago Provincial Council]] delegated to the newly formed Dunedin City Council in 1865,<ref>{{cite web|title=Otago Municipal Corporations Ordinance 1965|date=18 May 1865|publisher=Otago Provincial Council|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/ota_ord/omco1865367/}}</ref> resulted in the central government stepping in and confirming its powers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Otago Municipal Corporations Empowering Act 1865|date=30 October 1865|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/omcea186529v1865n55549/|publisher=Parliament of New Zealand}}</ref> Consequently, Dunedin City Council was the first council recognised in central government law. Furthermore, the central government passed legislation in 1868 to better regulate municipal councils across the country. Dunedin was already under the provisions and was therefore unaffected. The new act brought all other "city councils" in New Zealand under the central government regulations as "borough councils". The name change, however, was only due to an oversight in the language of the act and an amendment was made in November 1868 allowing some councils to revert to using the title of "city council". As the act, and therefore the brief name change, did not apply to Dunedin, Dunedin City Council can claim to have the longest continuous use of the title "city council".<ref name=Brett2020/><ref name=act1867>{{cite web|title=Municipal Corporations Act|date=10 October 1867|publisher=Parliament of New Zealand|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/mca186731v1867n24381/}}</ref> ===Summary of claims as New Zealand's first city=== {| class="wikitable" ! Foundation Date ! City ! Basis of claim |- | 1839 | Wellington | First of New Zealand's modern cities to be settled |- | 21 May 1852 | Auckland | Electorate of "City of Auckland" established |- | 6 February 1854 | Auckland | First city council established (disestablished 1856 and not re-established until 1871) |- | 31 July 1856 | Christchurch | First settlement to receive [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] by [[letters patent]] |- | 31 January 1863 | Christchurch | Longest continuously operating city council (name changed to Christchurch Borough Council between May and November 1868) |- | 18 May 1865 | Dunedin | Longest continuously operating municipal council to continuously use the title "city council" |} === Cities, 1877 to 1989 === The schedule of cities in New Zealand was brought under central government control in 1867,<ref name=act1867/> but continued to be sporadically applied. From 1886 the definition of a city was changed to any borough with a population of 20,000 or more.<ref>{{cite web|title=Municipal Corporations Act 1886|date=18 August 1886|publisher=Parliament of New Zealand|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/mca188650v1886n50338/}}</ref> This value was increased to 50,000 in 1989.<ref name=Brett2020/><ref>{{cite web|title=Local Government Amendment Act (No 2) 1989|date=6 June 1989|publisher=Parliament of New Zealand|url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/lgaa219891989n29316/}}</ref> Up to October 1989, the Local Government Commission undertook reorganisations of local government. As a result, some cities were reorganised into other larger cities or changed to districts, and some of these areas are still considered cities by many New Zealanders. This is a list as at {{Circa|1986}}. * ''North Island'' ** [[Whangārei]] (1964) ** ''Auckland'' *** [[Auckland City|Auckland]] (1871) *** [[East Coast Bays]] *** [[Takapuna]] *** [[Birkenhead, New Zealand|Birkenhead]] *** [[Waitemata City|Waitemata]] (1974) *** [[Mount Albert, New Zealand|Mt Albert]] *** [[Papatoetoe]] *** [[Manukau City|Manukau]] (1965) *** [[Papakura]] *** [[Tamaki City|Tamaki]] ** [[Hamilton, New Zealand|Hamilton]] (1936) ** [[New Plymouth]] (1949) ** [[Tauranga]] (1963) (lost city status 1989, regained 2004) *** Bethlehem *** Mount Maunganui *** Papamoa *** Welcome Bay ** [[Rotorua]] (1962, merged into Rotorua District, 1979) ** [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne]] (1955) ** [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]] (1950) ** [[Hastings, New Zealand|Hastings]] (1956) ** [[Whanganui|Wanganui]] (1924) (merged with surrounding counties to become Whanganui District, 1989) ** [[Palmerston North]] (1930) ** ''Wellington'' *** [[Wellington]] (1870) *** [[Upper Hutt]] (1966) *** [[Hutt City|Lower Hutt]] (1941) *** [[Porirua]] (1965) * ''South Island'' ** [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]] (1874) ** [[Christchurch]] (1868) ** [[Timaru]] (1948) ** [[Dunedin]] (1865) ** [[Invercargill]] (1930)
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