Mr. John Tait , J. P., was Mayor of Hokitika in the year 1885–86. He was first elected as a member of the Borough Council in 1869, and served for a number of years. Mr. Tait is well known in Hokitika as the local photographer. He is a trustee of the Hokitika Benevolent Society, and of the Westland Hospital, and a member of the Licensing Committee.