| Adrienne Staples | |
| Office: | Deputy chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council |
| Term Start: | 2016 |
| Office2: | 3rd Mayor of South Wairarapa |
| Term Start2: | 2004 |
| Term End2: | 2016 |
| Predecessor2: | John Read |
| Successor2: | Viv Napier |
| Birth Place: | Featherston, New Zealand |
| Party: | Independent |
Adrienne Lee Staples (born 1956/1957) is a New Zealand local-body politician. She was the mayor of South Wairarapa for 12 years from 2004 to 2016, and was the first woman to serve in the role.[1] [2]
Staples was born in Featherston, New Zealand.[3] She runs a small manufacturing business based in Featherston and a Wellington IT consulting company.[4]
Staples was a member of the Featherston community board. She was elected Mayor of South Wairarapa in 2004, becoming the district's first female mayor.[1] After retiring from the mayoralty in 2016 she ran for a position on the Greater Wellington Regional Council,[5] where she was elected deputy-chair.[6] [7]
In 2013, Staples and other Wairarapa mayors were the subject of a parody video based on the film Downfall.[8] She and her husband threatened to sue the video's creator for defamation, and engaged lawyers to have YouTube remove the video.[9]
In the 2017 New Year Honours, Staples was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government.[10] Later in 2017, she was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, by the Japanese government, in recognition of her promotion of Japanese–New Zealand friendship and mutual understanding.[11] [12]