Barry Curtis (mayor)
Sir Barry John Curtis, born 27 February 1939 in Auckland, is a retired New Zealand local-government leader. He was the mayor of Manukau City from 1983 to 2007, making him the country’s longest-serving mayor when he retired. Len Brown succeeded him as mayor.
Curtis is the son of John Dixon Cory Curtis and Vera Gladys Curtis. He went to Otahuhu College and studied town planning through the Technical Correspondence Institute, Wellington, and the University of Auckland, earning a Diploma of Town Planning. He worked as a town planning consultant and registered surveyor.
He entered politics as a Manukau City councillor in 1968 and was re-elected in 1971, 1974, 1977 and 1980. He also served on the Auckland Regional Authority from 1971, and chaired its regional planning committee from 1977 to 1983. He briefly sought National Party nomination for Pakuranga in 1974 and stood as an independent in the 1975 general election, finishing fifth.
As mayor, Curtis was re-elected in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004, serving until October 2007. He received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal and was knighted in 1992 for services to local government and the community. He married Miriam Ann Brooke in 1961 and they have three children. He lived in Bucklands Beach for most of his life, moving to Eastern Beach after retirement. Barry Curtis Park in Flat Bush is named in his honour.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:05 (CET).