Rehette Stotlz

Born and raised in South Africa, an OE brought Rehette to Gisborne in 2001, and she immediately fell in love with Tairāwhiti and its lovely people - she has called Gisborne home for the past 25 years. Rehette was elected as Mayor of Gisborne in 2019 and loves tackling challenges alongside her community. She also became the President of Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) in late 2025. Rehette is passionate about environmental sustainability, wants to encourage and enable balanced economic growth and she values the wonderful bi-cultural community that is unique to Tairāwhiti. Rehette has a Master’s Degree (M.Sc) in Cardiovascular Physiology, and after being involved in research and academics, co-owned and managed a Medical Recruitment business before entering the world of politics.