Mary Ogg

Mary Elizabeth Ogg ( McKinlay; – 6 October 2022) was a New Zealand local politician. She served as the mayor of Gore from 1995 until 2001, and was the first woman to hold that position.

Biography Ogg was born Mary Elizabeth McKinlay, the daughter of Bessy and Parker McKinlay, and grew up in Invercargill.

A district nurse, Ogg advocated for comprehensive health services in Gore and eastern Southland, and served as a member of the Southland District Health Board.

Ogg was elected mayor of Gore in 1995, and served in that role for two terms, before being defeated by Owen O'Connor at the 2001 local elections. Following the announcement that Seddon Memorial Hospital in Gore would close in 1999, Ogg actively and successfully campaigned for a new hospital to be built in Gore. The next year, her husband, David, was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the community, in the 2003 New Year Honours.

Mary Ogg died in Gore on 6 October 2022, at the age of 77.