Editing Stratford, New Zealand (section)

===Institutional history===
The first Stratford Town Board was formed in 1882. The Stratford County Council was formed in 1890, and the Stratford Borough Council was formed on 22 July 1898. In the same year, Stratford became the third town in New Zealand to have electric street lighting, on the initiative of inventor and entrepreneur [[Alexander Walker Reid]].<ref>{{DNZB|last=Donald|first=Mary|id=2r12|title=Alexander Walker Reid|access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref> The county and borough councils amalgamated on 1 April 1989 to form the Stratford District Council, which was reconstituted on 1 November 1989 as part of the nationwide restructure in local government.