Mayor Vanessa van Uden said this afternoon she had carefully considered the three candidates who had expressed a wish to be considered for the role.
"In a large district like ours, it's important to have a balance of representation between the mayor and the deputy mayor, and Lyal Cocks represents the Wanaka and Upper Clutha community very well.
"The role of deputy mayor also requires a district-wide perspective and my experience is that Lyal is able to take the wider view as well as advocating for his local constituency.
"The working relationship between the mayor and deputy mayor is very important, and experience plus understanding of local issues are also significant factors. Taking all of these considerations into account, I have appointed Lyal as my deputy."
Cr Cocks has been a councillor since 2007 and deputy mayor since 2010. He is also the immediate past chairman of the Wanaka Community Board.
Three councillors elected on Saturday had said publicly they wanted the job - Cath Gilmour, of Queenstown; Mr Cocks; and the highest-polling Wanaka councillor, Calum MacLeod.
