In September 1887, some residents petitioned the governor, Sir William Jervois, to have Brunner (at the time still commonly called Brunnerton) and some nearby settlements constituted a borough.
[4] One of the successful candidates was Joseph Petrie, who was simultaneously the mayor of Greymouth.
[5][6] The newly elected council first met on 26 November 1887 and with that meeting, the borough came into existence.
[9][10] The Brunner Borough was located either side of the Grey River / Māwheranui.
There were four churches within the borough (Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic), three state schools (in Dobson, Taylorville, and Stillwater), and a private school run by Catholic nuns.