Baker said Duncan “worked diligently for his community and the city he grew up and raised his family in”.
“The council table will simply not be the same without Mike’s insightful input, attention to detail, sense of humour and kind smile.
“You will be hugely missed, Mike. Moe mai rā.”
Members of the public took to social media comments to share their memories of the councillor.
“Mike was the epitome of a true community servant. Only a week ago, he generously made the time to visit my home, stand on the ground with me, and lend a compassionate, genuine ear to a local resident,” a Porirua resident wrote.
“I interviewed Mike for the Kapi-Mana when he first stood for council 10 years ago and he was genuine and humble and wanted to represent his community with all the life experience he had,” former journalist Kris Dando commented.
Duncan himself used to be printer and a local journalist who ran Word for Word, a media project in which he chronicled Porirua politics and local government affairs.
He was elected to council in 2016 after his unsuccessful bid for the mayoralty which saw him lose to Nick Leggett.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.