Philip Simon Mauger (born c. 1958) is a politician and former businessman who has served as the Mayor of Christchurch since 2022.

[2] Mauger and Christchurch Mag & Turbo Warehouse owner Hayden Knighton were badly injured in 2015 when their car was sandwiched between four vehicles (including a fuel tanker) on the Great Western Highway west of Sydney necessitating a long recovery period.

[5][6][7] He has been aligned with the "frugal five"; a group of councillors that take a conservative approach to council spending, and oppose increases in rates.

[10] In 2020, Mauger used heavy equipment from his company to dig a drainage trench on residential red zone land.

[14] In November 2021 he sent a text message to the then Mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, about his son's desire to build a film studio.

[17] This idea was rejected by both council staff and fellow councillors, as it would be difficult to administer and potentially create a greater hazard.

[28] In his mayoral campaign, Mauger promised a roving rapid response "pothole crew" to repair minor damage to footpaths where traffic management is not required.

He proposed cutting services such as libraries and swimming pools to mitigate the rates rise, saying "everything is on the table".

[34] In November 2023 Mauger penned a letter to the international group Mayors for Peace, addressing the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

[38][39] In mid-June 2024, Mauger and a majority of councillors announced that Christchurch City Council would be withdrawing from Local Government New Zealand after the association raised its annual membership costs by more than NZ$20,000.

He supported the withdrawal on the grounds that it would allow the Council to directly advocate for issues important to Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.