Sandra Glenis Hazlehurst (née Brannigan; born 1959) is a New Zealand politician who has served as the mayor of Hastings since November 2017. She is the first woman to hold the position.

Early life and family

Hazlehurst was born in

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

in 1959, the daughter of Velma Ada Brannigan (née Warren) and John Brannigan, a carpenter and later baker. She was educated at Ebbett Park School, Heretaunga Intermediate, and Hastings Girls' High School. Growing up, she was actively involved in

Girlguiding Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association in the United Kingdom, previously named The Girl Guides Association, which was formed in 1910. It is the original Girl Guides organisation in the world and, in 1928, became a founding m ...

, and in 1977 she earned the

Queen's Guide The Queen's Guide award is the highest attainable award for members of Girlguiding. Although originally awarded to Guides, it is now only attainable by members of the Senior Section (including Rangers, Young Leaders and Leaders) aged between 16 a ...

award. After her

overseas experience Overseas Experience (OE) is a New Zealand term for an extended overseas working period or holiday. It is sometimes referred to as "The big OE", in reference to the extended duration of the travel: typically at least one year, and often extended far ...

, Brannigan returned to New Zealand in 1983, and married Mark Hazlehurst the following year. The couple went on to have two daughters. In 1986, Hazlehurst and her sister bought a fruit and vegetable shop in central Hastings. She later established Central Building Surveyors with her husband.

Political career

Before being elected to the

Hastings District Council Hastings District Council () is the territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority for the Hastings District, New Zealand, Hastings District of New Zealand. The council covers the urban areas of Havelock North, Hastings, New Zea ...

in 2010, Hazlehurst served as the chair of the Hastings City Business Association for four years. She was elected mayor on 24 November 2017, following the 2017 by-election held after her predecessor, Lawrence Yule, resigned to contest the Tukituki electorate at the 2017 general election. She became the first female mayor of the district. Hazlehurst served as the mayor of Hastings during the recovery period following

Cyclone Gabrielle Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle was a powerful and destructive tropical cyclone that devastated parts of the North Island of New Zealand and affected parts of Vanuatu and Norfolk Island in February 2023. It is the costliest tropical cyclone ...

, where she played a role in overseeing infrastructure rebuilding efforts and addressing housing concerns, including buy-outs. Under Hazlehurst's council, the

Hastings District Hastings is a town in the United Kingdom, most famous for the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hastings may also refer to: Places Australia * Hastings, Tasmania, a locality * Hastings, Victoria, Australia ** Electoral district of Hastings, Victoria, ...

saw a 77% decline in the number of people in emergency housing between March 2022 and September 2023. A public disagreement surfaced between Hazlehurst and senior councillor Damon Harvey in late 2023, after Harvey acknowledged the existence of a document related to the council's handling of consenting issues. As a result, Harvey was later removed from his committee chair position by Hazlehurst.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazlehurst, Sandra 1959 births Living people People from Hastings, New Zealand People educated at Hastings Girls' High School New Zealand women in business Mayors of Hastings, New Zealand Women mayors of places in New Zealand New Zealand businesspeople 21st-century New Zealand politicians 21st-century New Zealand women politicians