Nobby Clark’s eventful stint as mayor of Invercargill will draw to a close in the coming days.

Clark has not sought re-election, meaning his final day in the job will likely come sometime next week after official results are declared.

His lone-term as mayor was marked by widely publicised controversies, including public use of the ‘N-word’, two code of conduct breaches and calls for his resignation.

It also included sign-off on the city’s new $87 million museum — a major project which has been years in the making.

Clark was approached for an exit interview in recent weeks but did not respond.

However, his five-minute valedictory speech touched on some of the controversy he had courted.

At the final meeting of council on 23 September, Clark expressed pride in what had been achieved over recent years while acknowledging "distractions and issues that have been created by some indiscretions by me”.

He also gave a nod to his deputy, Tom Campbell, who he said had been “very loyal”.

“You’ve been excellent in your advice, which has sometimes come with a bit of a barb. You’ve said to me on occasion ‘I didn’t sign up for this’," Clark said.

“But it was good that you made me reflect, and certainly you led and carried council through some periods where I had some poor health, and I had some indiscretions that probably we could have all done without.”

In March 2023, Clark made national headlines for saying the ‘N-word’ at an Arts Foundation event.

He repeated it to media and again on satirical news show New Zealand Today — his appearance on which resulted in a code of conduct breach in 2024.

Clark's term has included two code of conduct breaches and calls to resign. Photo: RNZ/Reece Baker

Clark picked up a second breach that year for his behaviour at a firefighters event, where it was alleged he described volunteer firefighters as second-class citizens and made personal attacks at the female MC, including about her appearance.

The mayor blamed his behaviour at the event on a “brain fade” resulting from a heart attack he’d suffered earlier that year, and faced pressure to resign.

The public indiscretions stopped, but a resolute Clark did not waver in his determination to do things his own way.

Over the past 12 months, he has gone against community board and mana whenua recommendations for Bluff’s wastewater consent, opposed diversity data being requested during council procurement, criticised his own council of being too risk averse, stalled decision on a mana whenua charter and pushed for new sculptures to be installed on Esk St despite complications with a cultural narrative.

His valedictory speech indicated there had been some learnings during his time in politics, as he offered advice to the incoming mayor and deputy about offloading to partners.

"One of the things I've learnt in the last five years is that it's too easy to carry your baggage home, to offload to your dearly beloved ones, and then you leave them with nowhere to offload either. And so there comes a cost at home."

Clark said at the end of his address that his next overseas trip would likely be to South Africa.

Election day is set for Saturday with progress results released in the afternoon.

Nobby Clark fast facts:

• First entered council in 2019 as highest polling councillor
• Won 2022 mayoralty by almost 3000 votes
• Previous roles include medic in Vietnam War and rural delivery driver
• One of the first people in New Zealand to donate a kidney anonymously
• Suffered two medical events while mayor, including a heart attack

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air