Julie Hardaker was the Mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand, from October 2010 to October 2016. Born in New Zealand, she was self-employed in Australia in the 1980s. After graduating from the University of Waikato, she joined the Hamilton law firm McCaw Lewis Chapman and became a partner and held senior management roles. She is involved in various community and business organisations at a governance level. As a political novice, she defeated former Mayor and experienced politician Bob Simcock in the 2010 New Zealand local government elections. Hardaker was re-elected in the 2013 election beating her main rival Ewan Wilson, with a majority of 2911 votes, becoming the first mayor of Hamilton in nearly two decades to survive their first term in office. She was returned to power with an increased majority, capturing 43.6% of the valid mayoral votes cast.

The 2013 Hamilton mayoral election was part of the Hamilton and wider New Zealand local elections. On 12 October 2013, elections were held for the Mayor of Hamilton and other local government roles. The incumbent, Julie Hardaker, ran against seven other candidates and was re-elected with 43.6% of the vote, a 2,911-vote majority over Ewan Wilson who won 35.5%.