Elizabeth Yates was the mayor of Onehunga borough for most of 1894, the first female mayor in British Empire Photo: supplied
The local body elections are coming up soon, including elections for mayor.
New Zealand has 67 mayors, yet turnout for mayoral elections is very low.
Legal historian, Grant Morris from Victoria University has been looking at how the role of mayors has changed throughout our history
To read more about Elizabeth Yates, New Zealand's first woman mayor click here.
