Former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis has died, aged 87

Former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis, one of the country's longest-serving mayors, has died at 87. Photo / Dean Purcell

By RNZ

Former Manukau City mayor Sir Barry Curtis – one of the country’s longest serving mayors – has died at the age of 87.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says Curtis leaves “an enormous legacy”.

He led Manukau City from 1983 to 2007, during a period of rapid expansion.

In a post on the Auckland Council website, Brown said he knew Curtis well.

“He was a hugely influential figure in local politics and a pioneer as mayor of Manukau City Council for 24 years. He was the country’s longest-serving mayor at the time.

“He was known for his booming trademark voice and was a genuine champion of the communities he served over a 40-year career in local government.”

The council post said Curtis was a dedicated public servant who devoted nearly 40 years of his life to serving the people of Manukau and Auckland.

Councillor Alf Filipaina said Curtis was a dear friend and colleague.

“Sir Barry championed an approach dubbed the ‘Manukau Way,’ which balanced economic progress with community welfare and fostered inclusive partnerships, particularly with iwi through early engagement on issues like the Manukau Harbour claim and Treaty of Waitangi responsibilities.

“From my perspective, part of his legacy will be about uniting diverse communities and ensuring that Manukau plays a significant contribution to Auckland’s economic, social, and cultural advancement.”

Having entered local government in 2003, Filipaina recalled one of his earliest lessons as a new councillor, telling RNZ he learned quickly to be well versed on the details of council meeting agenda items and unbudgeted funding requests under Curtis’ watch.

This was after he voted for one of his colleague’s recommendations at his first ever council meeting, only to be pulled up by the mayor afterwards.

“I felt sorry for the councillor because I knew he wasn’t going to get the recommendation through, so I sided with him.

“We finished the meeting and [Sir Barry] walked past me without losing a stride and he goes: ‘Never ever vote for something that will increase the rates’.

“I was like, oops. It felt like I got told off by the principal.”

Filipaina and a colleague had lunch with Curtis as recently as Friday.

“His mind was very sharp. He was still giving us advice,” he said.

“I just have a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him.”

Curtis was backed by the right-leaning Residents and Ratepayers Association in his mayoral tenure, but was known for working well with the dominant Labour group on the council.

When he retired, he said he was proud of his working-class background, Auckland Council said.

“I came from a poor family and my father was a waterside worker. That is why I know how it feels to be born on the wrong side of the tracks. I never forget that,” he said.

Curtis consistently identified health, housing, education and lack of jobs as Manukau’s main problems, and called on the Government to take a more interventionist approach.

He was knighted in 1992 for his services to local government and the community.

Manukau City was one of four cities in the Auckland region before they merged with the Auckland Regional Council and three district councils to become what was known as the super city in 2011.