George Wood (New Zealand politician)

Wood did not stand for Auckland Council in the 2016 local elections, but was elected to the Devonport-Takapuna local board on the Team George Wood ticket.

Wood has been a critic of the Auckland Council's draft Unitary Plan that was adopted in August 2016. Locations such as Milford and Browns Bay have resisted the idea of taller residential buildings than what was proposed in the plan. This was despite plaintive pleas from Mayor Len Brown.

In mid-2013, Wood abandoned the Citizens and Ratepayers ticket and set up a new ticket named Fair Deal For Shore in order to contest that year's October council elections. He was re-elected as councillor for North Shore ward. Wood was the chair of the Auckland Council's Regional Strategy and Policy committee, which was a committee of the whole of council, meaning that it consisted of the mayor, 20 councillors and two representative of the Independent Maori Statutory Board.

The preparation of the Auckland Plan, a spatial plan for the future development of the Auckland Region over the next 40 years and adopted by Auckland Council in 2012, was a major interest for Wood.

Wood was a councillor on the Auckland Council from its inception in 2010 until 2016. He joined the Citizens and Ratepayers Association (C&R) and was elected to the council on the Citizens and Ratepayers–North Shore ticket to represent the North Shore ward. He topped the poll for this ward in the election.

In his first term (2010–13), Wood was appointed chairman of the Community Safety Forum, and Deputy Chairman of the Accountability and Performance committee. A major revamp of the graffiti control and removal plan across the Auckland Region was undertaken under the direction of the Community Safety Forum chaired by Wood. The Auckland Council Graffiti Strategy document brought a number of organisations under one umbrella.

Wood is married to Myra Wood. He has three adult children and five grandchildren. Wood is a keen supporter of North Harbour sports teams, enjoys spending time with his family and helping community groups. He is also a full-time member of the Takapuna Rotary club, and in the 2009/10 Rotary year was the club's president. His father Oliver Wood operated a trucking business. Wood senior was a councillor on the Birkenhead Borough Council between 1959 and 1968, serving as the deputy mayor.

In the 2008 New Year Honours, Wood was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to local-body affairs.

In April 2007, Wood acceded to pressure from Chinese officials not to attend an international cultural show by Divine Performing Arts, which contained scenes depicting the oppression of people who practice the Falun Gong spiritual system. Wood was planning to attend the show with his wife, but after a phone call from the Chinese Consular General's office he backed out, and was quoted as saying:

Wood stood for a fourth term as an independent mayoralty candidate in the 2007 North Shore City elections but was defeated by Andrew Williams.

In the period since the October 2007 election Wood has worked behind the scenes on a number of projects mainly relating to transport. He is particularly vocal over the need to upgrade or replace the Auckland Harbour Bridge. Wood has also strongly urged the improvement of public transport across the Auckland region whilst at the same time warning about the huge escalation in operational costs. In 2009, in the lead up to the formation of Auckland Council, he questioned whether the new Auckland mayor would be able to control the proposed Auckland Transport Agency under the new proposed model.

In 2006, Wood indicated his support for the amalgamation of Auckland's seven city councils and boards into one 'supercity' Auckland council. Wood was one of four mayors who asked Prime Minister Helen Clark to reform the Auckland region's local government in September 2006. Subsequently the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance was formed to enquire into the future of local government across the Auckland region.

Following the 2001 local government elections Wood was elected to the position of chairman of the Auckland Mayoral Forum. In this role Wood pushed through a major joint programme between the Government and Auckland councils for transport funding. This culminated in the Government passing the Local Government Auckland Amendment Act 2004 and the provision of an additional $1.6 billion of transport funding over the following ten years. This extra funding has resulted in huge improvements to the Auckland roading and public transport networks.

In October 1998 Wood was elected Mayor of North Shore City following a fiercely contested election. Wood was able to bring together a new style of council administration with only three standing committees and all councillors members of these committees.

During his three consecutive terms as mayor (1998–2007), Wood was most successful in melding the council together and pushed through major reforms in relation to sewerage (waste water) infrastructure improvements, revamping the strategic plan and long term funding programme for North Shore City and developing and building the Northern Busway project.

Wood originally worked for the New Zealand Police, primarily as a crime investigations manager. As a Police investigator, he worked on many inquiries and served at various times in Auckland, Rotorua and Palmerston North. In his final years of service (1995–98), he was the manager of Police services within North Shore City.

He is the recipient of a New Zealand Police long service and good conduct medal awarded in 1980.

George Sydney Wood CNZM (born 5 August 1946) is a former mayor of North Shore City and a former Auckland Councillor. He was the only North Shore City mayor to be elected for three terms and later represented North Shore ward on the Auckland Council between 2010 and 2016. He is now the Deputy Chair of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board.