Nelson City Council

The early years ~ 1870s – 1890s

The first Nelson City Council

Nelson’s first City Council was formed in 1874, after 20 years of government by Town Board and Provincial Government. In the fledgling settlement the priority had been on setting up roads, water and sewerage systems, and the members of the Board of Works simply became the first councillors. They elected Mr J R Dodson as the first Mayor. But the early days proved to be a struggle financially, with the Provincial Government (which preceded the national parliamentary system) drawing on council funds without consent. Eventually a cheque for the Town Clerk’s salary was dishonoured and five councillors resigned. The Council was left with an overdraft of 1722 pounds and not enough councillors to hold a meeting. Local magistrate Mr L Broad stepped in to move things forward, conducting an election for a new City Council. There were seven seats and seven nominees – they were appointed without a poll.

The Trask Legacy

This might be news to you, but Mayor Francis Trask, who led the Council through the nineties, left us a fabulous legacy – the Queens Gardens. These were lean times for Nelson and for New Zealand as a whole. But Mayor Trask took time out from his butchery business to pursue his passion for parks. For Nelson’s commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 he came up with the idea of a ‘lovely garden for the pleasure and delight of the citizens’ and the old eel pond was in for a conversion that we still enjoy today.

Down in the ditch

Poos are often in the news – most recently relating to freedom campers, but in the 1880s and 90s the accusation used to fly over The Ditch – a foul and stinking open sewer that ran down the main street and around into Halifax Street. Nelson ladies, shopping for the latest hats to arrive from London, had to step over little bridges to each shop.  But the cash-strapped Council was in a difficult position, and the push to have something done was not helped by the Council’s medical advisor, who reported a typhoid epidemic was due to ‘unusual atmospheric conditions’. Alas the sewer was not to be started until the new century.

The 50th Jubilee

After 50 years the Nelson settlers had something to celebrate – their tiny town was officially a city, and had come a long way from the cluster of tents and huts of 1842. The jubilee celebrations lasted a week and included a church service and parade attended by the Premier, Richard Seddon, aka ‘King Dick’. There was a dinner for ‘old settlers’ where the happy relations with local Ma_ori got special mention, a ball for a select 300 and a fair at Trafalgar Park where 5,000 people turned out to enjoy sideshows, a merry-go-round, bands and plenty of food and beer. Nelson looked ahead to the 20th century with optimism.