District Southland District | Formed 1989 Area 30,401 km² | |
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Points of interest Destinations Milford Sound, Te Anau, Fiordland National Park, Stewart Island, Routeburn Track | ||
Southland District is a territorial authority in the South Island of New Zealand.
Contents
Map of Southland District, Southland, New Zealand
History
Southland District was formed through the 1989 local government reforms. 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.
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
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.