Penny Webster

Penny Webster is the mayor of Rodney District, Auckland, New Zealand. As mayor of Rodney she heads one of the five main local government entities generally considered as making up the Auckland metropolitan area (Auckland City, Manukau City, Waitakere City, North Shore City, Rodney District), with her district being the smallest and northernmost entity. She was also a former New Zealand politician: an MP from 1999 to 2002, representing the ACT New Zealand party.

Before entering politics, Webster was a farmer, and headed the Auckland branch of the Federated Farmers organisation. She was first elected to Parliament in the 1999 elections, becoming a list MP.

In the 2002 elections, however, she was ranked in thirteenth place, a low position for a sitting MP. While this was seen by some as a reflection of her ineffectiveness as an MP, Owen Jennings, another former farmer, was also ranked lowly, prompting some to suggest that ACT was not as interested in the rural vote as it might once have been.

ACT did not win sufficient votes for thirteen seats, and so Webster did not return to Parliament.

In August 2008, Penny Webster approved rates increases in Rodney District of up to 400% outraging constituents. Known as the "The Rodney Rates Rape" the backlash may finally tip the balance of public opinion in favor of folding Rodney District into a greater Auckland Council.

Further reading

:*citation |title = Closing the gaps: policy papers |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Office |year = 2001 |isbn = 0-958-21781-5

*"Webster's contribution is a paper entitled:" "Tomorrow's agriculture."

:*citation |title = Old values, new ideas |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = ACT New Zealand Parliamentary Office |year = 2002 |isbn = 0-477-01964-1

*"Webster's contribution is a paper entitled:" "City of snails."

:*citation |first1 = Ralph |last1 = Du Faur |first2 = Penny |last2 = Webster |title = Sharemilking: how sharemilking agreements can benefit both parties |place = Masterton, [N.Z.] |publisher = Farm Books |year = 1993 |isbn = 0-909-01401-9

:*citation |first = Penny |last = Webster |title = Penny Webster for mayor [electronic resource] |url = http://www.pennywebster.co.nz/ |accessdate = 2008-04-07 |place = n.p. |publisher = Penny Webster |year = 2007-