He is the subject of a commemorative statue, unveiled in Tauranga Domain in 1916, four years after his death.

[6] Tenby Powell was elected to the mayoralty in October 2019 but resigned in November 2020,[7] eight months after he was unanimously censured by his council for an angry outburst.

[8][9] Following further mayoral "outbursts,"[10][11] Powell publicly called for the Minister of Local Government to appoint a commission to replace the "dysfunctional" council.

[12][13] The decision to cancel the election for a new mayor and councillors, and the appointment of a Crown commission instead by minister Nanaia Mahuta on 9 February 2021 was not without controversy.

A legal opinion by law firm Russell McVeagh found her decision may have been "unlawful"[14] and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges called the decision "dramatic and draconian",[15] while saying that Powell quitting removed "a significant source of friction" and it was reasonable to assume the council would become more functional with the election of a new Mayor and Councillor.