title: Gore District Council
text: # Gore District Council
  
  Gore District Council is the territorial authority for the Gore District of New Zealand.
  
  The council is led by the mayor of Gore, who is currently Ben Bell. There are also eight ward councillors and three councillors elected at large.
  
  ## Composition
  
  ### Councillors
  
  * Mayor Ben Bell
  * Gore ward: Bronwyn Reid, Bret Highsted, Nick Grant, Glenys Dickson, Doug Grant
  * Mataura ward: Neville Phillips
  * Waikaka ward: John Gardyne
  * Waimumu-Kaiwera ward: Stewart MacDonell
  * Councillors elected at-large: Cliff Bolger, Nicky Davis, Richard McPhail
  
  ### Community boards
  
  * Mataura Community Board: Alan Taylor, Greg Chaffey, Linda Sinclair, Susan Taylor, Steve Dixon
  
  ## History
  
  The council was established in 1989, directly replacing the Gore and Mataura Borough Councils and part of Southland County Council (established in 1885.) as the Gore District, New Zealand
  
  In 2020, the council had 334 staff, including 28 earning more than $100,000. According to the Taxpayers' Union think tank, residential rates averaged $2,163.
  
  