Between 1954 and 1959, the administration of the borough was headed by a town commissioner, Frank Prideaux, appointed by the governor-general under the terms of the Kawerau and Murupapa Townships Act 1953.
[5] Stoneham was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to the community, in the 1977 Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours.
[7] Originally from England, Stoneham worked at the Tasman pulp and paper mill, and was first appointed to the Kawerau Advisory Committee in 1959.
[5] Following Stoneham's death, Ron Hardie was appointed mayor, and held the position until retiring at the 1986 local-body elections.
[8] Hardie moved to Kawerau in the 1950s, and worked as a superintendent in the timber yard at the Tasman pulp and paper mill.
[13] In the 2023 New Year Honours, Campbell was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government and the community.