Kelly Stratford has been named the new deputy mayor of the Far North.

Stratford’s appointment by newly-minted mayor Moko Tepania means both the mayor, deputy mayor and a sizeable majority of councillors on the new Far North District Council are Māori — a first anywhere in Northland.

Stratford said she’d held a large number of portfolios over the past three years so she was confident she could handle the workload and responsibility.

“I’m really excited to support our mayor and my colleagues so we can have the best council possible, and people can feel they have the best council,” she said.

Stratford, who has become known for her diligence and willingness to engage with the public, has served one and a half terms as a councillor on the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward.

She was re-elected last week with the second-highest number of votes in the ward after Ann Court.

She was initially voted onto the council in a by-election called to replace Willow-Jean Prime after she won a seat in Parliament in 2017.

Stratford previously served two part-terms as the Kawakawa representative on the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board, where she also initially won her seat in a by-election.

Stratford’s selection brings a male/female, east/west balance to Tepania.

The 46-year-old of Ngāpuhi and Welsh descent is a mother of three children aged 11 to 20.

She originally became involved in local politics and Civil Defence after her home in Karetu, east of Kawakawa, was destroyed in a storm. She now lives in Haruru.

She used to own Kawakawa’s famous Trainspotter Cafe with her husband Daniel.

Stratford stood for the mayoralty as well as a council seat in the October 8 election. She finished six in a field of nine mayoral candidates with 1616 votes.