The 1876 Wellington City mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. William Hutchison, the incumbent Mayor sought re-election and retained office unopposed with no other candidates emerging.[1]
In his term as Mayor of Wellington, Hutchinson was mostly occupied with the issue of whether the Wellington Waterfront should be controlled by the city council directly or by a separate entity.[2] It would later result in the creation of the Wellington Harbour Board. It was the first of four instances between 1876 and 1898 where the mayoralty was uncontested.[3] This was the first election where women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates for office (though none stood).[4]
