Grant Smith is the 29th Mayor of Palmerston North City. He was first elected to Council in 2013 and then elected Mayor in a by-election in early 2015. In his fifth term, he is currently NZ's most experienced and longest serving City Mayor.
Grant, prior to entering the mayoral office, had an extensive business background in advertising and marketing, working with international advertising agencies and owning his own agency for over 20 years. He has managed multiple international sporting and cultural events. Serving on numerous national cultural, sporting and business boards before becoming Mayor.
Grant is proactive in supporting international and global relationships and the key diverse city sectors of Innovation & Science, Food Research, Education, Sport & Events, Agribusiness, Logistics, Distribution & Transport, Defence, and Healthcare.
He is the current national president of Global Cities New Zealand Inc, where Palmerston North has Sister City relationships with Guiyang and Kunshan in China, Mihara in Japan, and Missoula, Montana in the USA, with strategic relationships in Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh City and Wageningen City in the Netherlands.
Mayor Grant is a practising JP, serves on the National Council and is also the Metro sector chair for Local Govt New Zealand.
Committee membership
- Community Resilience & Sustainability
- Finance, Performance & Audit
- Arts, Culture and Heritage
- Sport & Recreation
Appointments to outside organisations
- Palmerston North Performing Arts Trust
- Te Motu o Poutoa Project Group
- Arena Masterplan Steering Group
- Central City Transformation (Streets for People) Steering Group
- Civic and Cultural Masterplan Steering Group
- International Partnership Steering Group
- Nature Calls - Adaptive Management Steering Group
- Palmerston North Future Development Strategy Joint Steering Group
- Accelerate 35 Lead Team (Horizons)
- Climate Action Joint Committee (Horizons)
- Horizons Regional Transport Committee
- Manawatū River Accord (Horizons)
- Manawatu –Whanganui Civil Defence Emergency Management Group (Horizons)
- Manawatū- Whanganui Mayoral Forum
- New Zealand Local Government Association (Metro Sector)
- New Zealand Local Government Association (Zone 3)
- PN Public Transport Services Advisory Group
- Te Apiti Manawatū Gorge Governance Group (Horizons)
- District Licensing Committee - Appointment Panel
- Electoral College (CEDA)
- Civic Honour Selection Panel