The mayor is directly elected using a single transferable vote electoral system.

[3] Joseph Dodson was elected as the first mayor of Nelson on 1 May 1874[4] by the city councillors under the Municipal Corporations Act 1867.

Councillor Fell noted that Dodson had taken great interest in the welfare of Nelson and was an upright gentleman with integrity.

[5][6] A special meeting of the remaining Councillors was held on 12 January 1875 to appoint a new mayor but no one was forthcoming.

[8] Levien is credited with having set systems in place and employed capable staff that the financial crisis was able to be overcome.

He was elected unopposed on 16 June 1876[9] and resigned on 1 September 1877 in order to travel to England.

William Reid Waters was appointed by the councillors to fill the vacancy left by Everett.

Waters was mayor until 19 December 1877 when Joseph Dodson was elected for a second time in his place.

During his tenure, Rocks Road (now part of State Highway 6) was built along the coast, and Queens Gardens were established.

Moffat retired in 1935 due to ill health and George Page was elected in his place.

In the early 1940s, Page suffered from a prolonged period of ill health and was replaced by Edgar Neale, the deputy mayor, in 1941.

Former Labour Party Member of Parliament for Nelson Philip Woollaston then served as mayor from 1992 to 1998.