The site that would go on to become Invercargill was selected and streets laid out by the chief surveyor for the Otago Province, John Turnbull Thomson, in 1856.

[4] The Invercargill Town Hall and Civic Theatre, opened in November 1906, was initially built for the council.

[7] The modern borders of the city of Invercargill took shape when Bluff was amalgamated in the local government reforms of 1989.

[6] Since 2021, the council has appointed two mana whenua representatives nominated by local runaka.

The Bluff Community Board consists of five elected members[14] and two councillors appointed by the council.