Bruce Berquist was elected the first mayor of Waipā District in 1989, defeating chief executive of Hamilton Airport, Barry O'Connor.

[1] Berquist stood down at the 1995 local-body elections, when the mayoralty was contested by Te Miro farmer John Hewitt and the National Party MP Katherine O'Regan.

Hewitt considered resigning the following year when his wife, Joslyn, was diagnosed and subsequently died from bone cancer.

[4] Livingston later served as chair of the Waikato Regional Council from 2016 to 2019, and was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to sports and the community, in the 2014 New Year Honours.

[5] Jim Mylchreest, was first elected in 2013, with a margin of more than 600 votes over nearest rival Pat Bishop in a four-candidate race.