Hon Dr Nick Smith

Second-term Mayor of Nelson, Hon Dr Nick Smith, is well known in the Nelson-Tasman region after more than three decades as an MP, firstly in the former Tasman electorate and then as the MP for Nelson. During his Parliamentary career, Dr Smith was a Minister of Environment, Conservation, Building & Construction, Housing, Education, Corrections, ACC, Immigration, Treaty Negotiations, Social Welfare, Local Government and Climate Change in the Bolger, Shipley, Key and English Cabinets. Dr Smith has a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours and a PhD in Civil Engineering. Following Dr Smith’s retirement from Parliament in 2021, he was Smith Crane’s project manager for the construction of New Zealand’s largest wind farm at Turitea. He was elected Mayor of Nelson in the October 2022 local elections and re-elected to the role in the October 2025 local elections. Dr Smith is a Member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and a Fellow of Engineering New Zealand. He is also a trustee on several boards including the Cawthron Institute and Network Tasman.