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David Charles Cull (1 April 1950 – 27 April 2021) was the mayor of the city of
Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...
in New Zealand. He became the 57th
Mayor of Dunedin The mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...
in October 2010 and was re-elected in both the 2013 mayoralty race and 2016 mayoral election. Before politics, he was a presenter for
Television New Zealand Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, TVNZ+, streaming service, and 1N ...
and an author.


Early life and career before politics

Cull was born and grew up in
Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...
, where he attended
Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881, ...
. He obtained a BA and PG Dip in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
at the
University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...
. He had worked as a television presenter for
Television New Zealand Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, TVNZ+, streaming service, and 1N ...
, hosting lifestyle and home improvement shows including ''Home Front'', and was a writer who had published several books. He was married to Joan Wilson, with whom he had two daughters.


Political career

David Cull was elected to the
Dunedin City Council The Dunedin City Council () is the Local government in New Zealand, local government authority for Dunedin in New Zealand. It is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority elected to represent the people of Dunedin. Since O ...
in 2007. During his time as a councillor, he opposed the new stadium, which has since become a financial drain on the council. In the 2010 Dunedin mayoral election, he was one of seven candidates, one of whom was incumbent mayor Peter Chin. Cull stood as part of the Greater Dunedin group and was successful. He took office as mayor on 27 October 2010. Cull expressed support for a controversial planned waterfront hotel that at 28 storeys, would tower over much of the city. In March 2014, Cull entered a memorandum of understanding with the developer on behalf of Dunedin City Council, but the agreement fell over and was terminated a month later, which meant the end of the project. In January 2013, Cull announced that he would seek re-election in that year's mayoral election. On election day, he beat ex ACT MP Hilary Calvert, Councillor Lee Vandervis, and six other challengers. In December 2015, Cull was involved in a heated exchange with Councillor Vandervis, who alleged that Cull had paid a bribe to secure a Council contract in the 1980s. Vandevis subsequently filed a defamation suit seeking NZ$250,000 in general damages and NZ$250,000 in exemplary damages plus legal costs, alleging that Cull had defamed him when responding to that claim. In July 2017, Vandervis settled the lawsuit out of court due to legal delays and spiraling costs but declined to apologise to Cull. In July 2017, Cull was elected as the president of Local Government New Zealand. He had previously served as the organisation's vice-president and chair of its metro committee. In late May 2019, Cull announced he would not seek re-election at that year's mayoral election. In mid August 2019, Cull announced that he would be contesting local body elections for the Southern District Health Board; he was elected, and then appointed the Board's
Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
in December 2019.


Death

Cull was diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
in October 2020. After undergoing chemotherapy treatment and spending several weeks in hospital, he died at his home on 27 April 2021, aged 71. In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours, Cull was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government. The award had been approved by the Queen before Cull's death.


Bibliography

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References


External links


Dunedin City Council Councillors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cull, Dave 1950 births 2021 deaths People from Invercargill Mayors of Dunedin New Zealand television presenters People educated at Southland Boys' High School University of Otago alumni People from Otago Peninsula Southern District Health Board members Deaths from pancreatic cancer in New Zealand Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit New Zealand justices of the peace