| Campbell Barry | |
|---|---|
 Barry in 2020 | |
| 20th Mayor of Lower Hutt | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 23 October 2019 | |
| Deputy | Tui Lewis |
| Preceded by | Ray Wallace |
| Hutt City Councilor from the Wainuiomata Ward | |
| In office 12 October 2013 – 23 October 2019 | |
| Succeeded by | Keri Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1991 (age 32–33) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Laura Barry (m. 2019) |
| Residence(s) | Wainuiomata, New Zealand |
| Alma mater | Victoria University of Wellington |
Campbell Nicholas Barry (born 1991) is a New Zealand politician. He has served as Mayor of Lower Hutt since 2019.
Biography
Early life
Barry was educated at Wainuiomata High School. He went on to study at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2018.
Political career
At the 2013 local body elections, Barry was elected a member of the Hutt City Council for the Wainuiomata ward and was re-elected in 2016. He was the youngest person ever to be elected onto the city council.
In October 2016, Barry contested the Labour Party nomination for the electorate of Hutt South for the 2017 election against Ginny Andersen and Sarah Packer after long-serving member of parliament Trevor Mallard signalled his intention to stand as a list-only candidate at the election. Andersen won the selection.
In June 2017, Barry raised a motion to abolish ratepayer-funded meals for city councillors at long meetings, as he believed elected members should pay for their own meals after the Council decided to introduce what he called "a sham Living Wage Policy". After a 7–6 vote, with mayor Ray Wallace voting in favour of retaining the meals, a public backlash engulfed the Council in controversy.
At the 2019 local-body elections, Barry was elected mayor of Lower Hutt, beating the incumbent Ray Wallace by 15,453 votes to 13,034. At 28, he was the youngest person ever elected to the office of mayor of a city in New Zealand.
In July 2020 his council secured funding from the government to rebuild the Naenae pool, fulfilling a campaign promise. The council co-funded the project. In September of the same year the council passed a change to the city's rubbish collection system.
On 15 May 2021, Barry opened Lower Hutt's first Dog Park. Named after veteran animal control officer, Les Dalton. Barry said at the opening "It was a real privilege to open the park alongside Les’ wife Jill. As everyone said, Les would be extremely excited and proud to see the park open today."
In May 2021, Barry was elected as the new chair of Wellington Water, replacing the outgoing Chair David Bassett who had held the role since the establishment of Wellington Water in 2014.
In 2021, he made the comment about the group, Speak Up For Women, a group formed in opposition to the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021, asking "if this group needs a venue in the Hutt, I've got some nice new waste bins they can use?" Following a complaint by the New Zealand branch of the Free Speech Union, he apologised for his comment.
He was re-elected in 2022 with a 2,443 vote majority over Tony Stallinger of the United Hutt group.
Footnotes
- Kevin O'Hara was elected mayor of a borough council (Mount Maunganui) aged 26 in 1974.
References
- "Roll of graduates". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- "Labour selects former Ohariu candidate Virginia Andersen to run in Hutt South electorate". stuff.co.nz. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- "Hutt mayor gets a roasting over 'sham' living wage decision". Stuff. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- "Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace uses casting vote to retain free meals for councillors". Stuff. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- "Wallace toppled by Barry in Hutt City". Stuff.co.nz. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- "Mayor of Mount at 26". The New Zealand Herald. 14 October 1974. p. 1.
- Long, Jessica; Tso, Matthew (13 October 2019). "Lower Hutt elects New Zealand's youngest ever mayor, Campbell Barry". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- "Govt announces $27m for new Naenae Pool building". Radio New Zealand. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- Boyack, Nicholas (18 September 2020). "Rubbish collection causing a stink in Lower Hutt". Stuff. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- "Lower Hutt's First Dog Park Opens To Public". www.scoop.co.nz. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- Keogh, Brittany (3 March 2021). "Wellington Water chair David Bassett steps down ahead of Three Waters announcement". Stuff. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- Campbell, Georgina (17 May 2021). "Hutt City Mayor Campbell Barry elected as new Wellington Water Committee chairman". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- Clark, Poppy (12 April 2023). "Council gives money to controversial group Speak Up For Women after refusing to host meeting at library". Stuff. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
- Campbell, Georgina (13 July 2021). "Speak Up For Women controversy: Billboard removed, mayor apologises". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- Boyack, Nicholas. "Campbell Barry wins Hutt City mayoralty". Stuff. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
External links
Media related to Campbell Barry at Wikimedia Commons
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byRay Wallace | Mayor of Lower Hutt 2019–present |
Incumbent |