TypeAgencyDate Range1966?-1989?DescriptionThe Citizens' Caucus consisted of councillors who were elected and served under the ticket of the Wellington Citizens' Association political party. This association was an anti-Labour Party organisation which had its roots as far back as the 1880's with the Wellington Ratepayers' Reform Association.
In 1935 the Ratepayers' Association joined with the Wellington Civic League to create the Citizens' Election Campaign Committee. By the 1950's, the association had dropped its ratepayers designation and took the name, Wellington Citizens' Association.
From the late 1960's until the 1980's, the Citizens' political grouping was the dominant force on the elected Council and in the mayoralties of Michael Fowler and Ian Lawrence.
The influence of the Citizens' councillors declined after the 1990 local government elections. At first, and until about 1969, the Citizens' councillors referred to themselves as the Citizens' Group but, as the term caucus was used to describe their meetings, they took on the name Citizens' Caucus.
In the early years, they met weekly and then less frequently. Even so, during their heyday on Council, there were scheduled meetings sometimes up to 25 times a year. They also held special meetings with the executive of the Citizens' Association. They discussed the whole range of Council business, especially those proposals they would vote on as members of the Citizens' grouping. The records held end in June 1989.
