Obituary: Niall Burgess

Former mayor of Otahuhu borough. Died in Auckland, aged 76.

Niall Frederick Burgess, who died suddenly at his home, represented a past era in Auckland local body politics, when the city was divided into a series of small borough councils.

Mayor and councillors then were intimately concerned with the affairs of their areas.

Mr Burgess' service to Otahuhu began when he was elected as a borough councillor in 1953. He stayed on the council continuously until his three terms as mayor ended in 1986 - the year that Otahuhu and Mt Wellington boroughs were amalgamated into Tamaki City, itself later absorbed in Auckland City.

Such was the settled nature of borough politics in Otahuhu that Mr Burgess was elected unopposed as mayor in both 1977 and 1980.

In those elections only eight people came forward for the eight council seats.

In 1986 Mr Burgess and his council found themselves himself at the centre of a public spat with the then Minister of Transport, Richard Prebble.

Otahuhu had its own traffic department as distinct from Ministry of Transport traffic officers. Auckland City, Mt Albert borough and Invercargill and Napier local bodies were in the same position.

As part of his desire to do away with local traffic departments, Mr Prebble criticised an unnamed Auckland local body - which he said was not Auckland City - for using traffic fines to reduce rates, a practice he described as "not a fair go."

Mr Burgess noted laconically that Mr Prebble was probably talking about his council, which had transferred close to $250,000 from the traffic department into subsidising rates.

Mr Burgess, who worked as an engineer with Reid Rubber, continued his community involvement with Otahuhu in his later years.

He was awarded an OBE for his service to local government, which included three years as president of the Auckland Local Bodies Association.

The Mayor of Auckland City, Chris Fletcher, said Mr Burgess would long be remembered for his sincerity and wise stewardship.