Former Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate moves on from local government

Former city mayor Paula Southgate and her successor, Tim Macindoe. Photo /Tom Eley

Hamilton’s new council had its first official meeting yesterday, marking the start of a new era for the city. It’s one without Paula Southgate, who spent the past 24 years in local government and announced earlier this year she would not seek re-election. Waikato Herald journalist Tom Eley caught up with her as she packed up her office.

Rain streaked the windows of Hamilton City Council’s ninth-floor boardroom as former Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate sat at the head of the table one last time.

Outside, the Waikato River disappeared into a grey drizzle, the city veiled beneath the clouds.

Southgate has been part of Hamilton’s story for 24 years – and now, she’s ready to start a new chapter.

“I’m ready to move on,” she said.

“It simply feels right.”

Southgate entered local government in 2001 as a councillor and later chairwoman of Waikato Regional Council, before being elected to Hamilton City Council in 2016. In 2019, she became the city’s mayor.

Looking back, Southgate said she had “loved everything” about her time as an elected member, but was particularly proud of the connections she built with the community.

She said she also had fond memories of engaging with Hamilton’s diverse community.

“Naysayers would say, ‘that’s all about getting a photo on your Facebook page’.

“It’s not at all.

“If you’re not in amongst the community, how do you know what they want?”

She stressed the mayor had only one vote at the council table and during her time, there had been projects Southgate found herself not in favour of, but once a motion was passed by majority vote, she was obligated to see them through.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins with Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate at the City Safe Camera Control room in 2023. Photo / Mike Scott

“It’s not an excuse. It’s a statement of fact.

“Once it’s voted on, it’s the decision of council, and I proudly stood behind it.

“Because you should.

“You have to be the number one champion for the city.”

During her tenure, Southgate was surprised to be asked to overturn parking tickets and provide job references for people she didn’t know.

“That is not the role of the mayor.”

Being at the helm of the city meant she often needed to balance conflicting, diverse political views, however, she raised concerns about how people voiced their views.

Paula Southgate and her husband Greg Forsyth started the Waikato Backgammon Club as a way to unwind after late nights or long weeks.

“We may disagree, but we need to do the work in a professional manner.”

Southgate said there were many challenges ahead, not only for the new council, but also for local government in general.

There was the rapid growth of the city, balancing the needs of the different demographics and the younger generation’s lack of engagement with local politics.

The city has a median age close to 33, which is among the youngest in the country, Southgate said.

“On the one hand, we’ve got the bubble of the 65-plus age group.

“And on the other hand, we have this emerging group of citizens who will shape their own city.”

In 2013, Paula Southgate became Waikato Regional Council's chairwoman. Photo / Stephen Barker

Vitriol had also crept into local government, with candidates facing threats or barriers to running in the first place, Southgate said.

“It’s terrifying stuff for local democracy, because you want good people to stand.”

She acknowledged that being mayor could be a difficult job, but relying on competent people makes all the difference, Southgate said.

“You can’t do it all yourself.

“It is a team approach to politics.”

One very important member of Southgate’s team had been her husband, Greg Forsyth.

She remembers some very late nights and long weeks, and to unwind, they would be in pyjamas watching Netflix.

Paula Southgate in 2010, when she was Transport Committee deputy chairwoman for Environment Waikato (now Waikato Regional Council), pictured with cricket player and rail safety advocate Chris Cairns (left) and former KiwiRail manager Rangi Rarere at the rail bridge on SH1 in Ngāruawāhia, which underwent safety improvements after several near-misses involving trains. Photo / Christine Cornege

Or playing backgammon, a passionate hobby of theirs, that Southgate will now have more time for.

They run the Waikato Backgammon Club and the weekend before this year’s election, Southgate and Forsyth hosted the North Island Backgammon Championship in Raglan.

“When you’re playing backgammon, believe it or not, you have to do mathematics, which is not my number one strength.

“I am a wordy person, not a math person.

“But you know, [playing Backgammon is] something that takes me out of myself.”

Now her almost quarter-century of public life is behind her, she is looking forward to spending time with her grandchildren.

“They light up my life in a way I’ve never anticipated, as most grandparents will tell you.”

Tom Eley is a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. He previously worked for the Weekend Sun and Sunlive.