She grew up in a castle and now she’s the mayor: The rise of Sophie Barker

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Dunedin’s new mayor describes herself as a frugal person who grew up in a castle.

But Sophie Barker, 58, had no thoughts of moving back into the imposing home now she’s been elected to the city’s top job.

Nor did Barker have to go far for female role models - her mother, Margaret Barker, is at the top of her list.

“She is an incredibly strong woman… she is a huge supporter and I think is very proud.”

Barker’s childhood home was Larnach Castle on Dunedin’s Otago Peninsula, now a leading tourist attraction.

It was built by businessman William Larnach, a former politician, and restored by Barker’s parents after they bought the rundown building in 1967.

Some of her earliest memories involved carrying buckets as rain fell through the roof.

“We didn’t make money for 30 years,” Barker said.

“The castle is where I grew up - people think it was glamorous but it was just hard work from an early age - and that is where I get my work ethic from.”

As well as being unafraid of hard work, Barker maintains she is deeply frugal and says winning the mayoralty won’t stop her shopping at Pak‘nSave.

Part of that’s due to her being in a single-income family with her daughter, Charlotte, who is studying law and economics at the University of Otago.

“That’s who I am, I am a Scottish Presbyterian. I love a bargain and I am frugal.”

With a background in marketing and tourism, Barker recalled cutting up the work credit card when she was employed by the council.

“I wasn’t having a cup of coffee on anyone else,” she said. “That’s not how I work. I know how hard people work for the money that goes into rates, and that’s key to me.”

Barker received confirmation of the mayoralty late on Sunday night, taking over from one-term mayor Jules Radich who had already cleaned out his office by the time she moved in on Monday morning.

That office offers a view of the city’s hospital rebuild, something else which was deeply personal to the long-time health campaigner.

In her early 40s, Barker had three brain operations in a 16-month period.

“I’ve been through the wringer of the health system.”

She almost died when she contracted meningitis after the second operation, and the third “was a bit dire as well”.

Her memento of those times include a “titanium plate and tube in my head… and very, very good scars”.

“It certainly gives you a frank appreciation of life, and I look forward not backwards… you know it is a gift in a lot of ways.”

By comparison, managing those around the council table should not be too difficult, she said.

“Everyone is elected as an equal, and I think we will find the places where we can work together.

“I want to be inclusive and have us all work together because, in the end, we all hold the city in our hearts, and we want what is best.”

Part of the reason she stood for the mayoralty was that she “wanted to be a role model for my daughter”.

And besides, Charlotte told her mother: “If you don’t do it, I’ll be doing it in 30 years.”

Now Charlotte will “lose a bit more of her mummy to the city”, with the pair’s ‘Plan B’, opening a cat café if she didn’t win the mayoralty, on hold.

Barker said it had been an anxious wait to find out the results , as she held a slim majority over main challenger Andrew Simms on Saturday night.

The challenge now was to make a city appealing for young people to live and thrive.

So what does a city under Sophie Barker look like?

“Thriving, vibrant, fun, great jobs, a positive sense of purpose and positivity.”

Barker became Dunedin’s first female mayor since Sukhi Turner, who served in the role between 1995-2004, and she has already appointed Cherry Lucas as her deputy.

Her politics were aligned to the centre-left and, while not describing herself as a politician, Barker said she did admire the communication skills of former prime minister Jacinda Ardern.

She has already received a congratulatory message from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, which she had to fact check to make sure it was the real deal.

As someone who loves to wear bright colours, Barker said her outfits helped her “stand out” on the campaign trail.

“We need to liven up the council table with a splash of colour, Dunedin has a bit of grey weather sometimes and we need to show our shine.”

And that’s what she wants for the city too, to shine on the national and international stage as “our profile has gone backwards in the last number of years”.

“We have world-class attractions here and we need to promote them.”