Kerry Prendergast was the mayor of Wellington for three terms until 2010 and prior to that she served as deputy mayor between 1995 and 2001. In addition to her career in local government, Kerry has a professional background in the health sector (as a registered nurse and midwife for 30 years).

Kerry is the chairperson of several organisations and boards including the NZ International Festival of the Arts, the Environmental Protection Agency, Wellington Jazz Music Festival Trust and the New Zealand Tourism Board.

Kerry is a director of Kirkcaldie & Stains and TWC Apartments Ltd, and an advisory board member of both Victoria University of Wellington's MBA programme and the Auditor General. She is patron of the SPCA, Skylight, Capital Vision Research Trust and the Tawa Male Voice Choir. Kerry is also a trustee of Motu and the Endangered Species Trust, a member of Westpac Stadium, the Wellington Phoenix Football Club and Fish Head Magazine Advisory Board. She is a member of Central Zone Netball and has interests in the Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Trust and Boulcott's Farm Heritage Golf Club.

In 2011 Kerry was made a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary and a Companion of the NZ Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday Honours.