Margaret Joy Kouvelis (born 1949) is a New Zealand local-body politician. She was the 5th Mayor of Manawatu, holding the position from 2012 to 2016.

Early life and family

Kouvelis was born in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

. She studied at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

, and subsequently became a teacher in Queen's High School in

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 ...

. After spending time in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, she was a teacher at Dunstan High School in

Alexandra Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...

, and then at

Freyberg High School Freyberg High School () is a state co-educational secondary school located in the suburb of Roslyn, Palmerston North, Roslyn in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Freyberg High School is named for hero of both world wars, Lord Freyberg, Lord Berna ...

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

, before moving to

Massey University Massey University () is a Public university, public research university in New Zealand that provides internal and distance education. The university has campuses in Auckland, Palmerston North, and Wellington. Data from Universities New Zealand ...

's Centre for Educational Development. In 2002 she was appointed director of the New Zealand Teachers' Council, but resigned a year later. She subsequently became a consultant, edited a Presbyterian magazine, farmed olives, and ran a bookshop. Kouvelis is the mother of former

All Black The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

Mark Ranby Richard Mark Ranby (born 1 June 1977) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. A Rugby union positions#Centre, midfield back, Ranby represented Manawatu Rugby Union, Manawatu, the Central Vikings Rugby Union, Central Vikings and Waikato Rugby ...

Political career

In 2010 Kouvelis was elected to the Manawatu District Council. In 2012 she won a by-election for Mayor following the resignation of Ian McKelvie, and was re-elected unopposed in 2013, but lost the mayoralty to

Helen Worboys Helen Joyce Worboys is a New Zealand local-body politician. She is the sixth Mayor of Manawatu, and has held the position since 2016. Early life and career Worboys has lived in the Feilding area since the age of 10. Before entering local governm ...

in 2016.

References

1949 births Living people Mayors of Manawatu People from Nelson, New Zealand University of Auckland alumni Women mayors of places in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit {{NewZealand-mayor-stub