Wellington mayor Tory Whanau is no longer running for a second term. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has announced she is no longer running for a second term.
Whanau, who won the mayoralty in 2022 as an independent and had secured the Green Party's backing for re-election, has now changed her tune, saying she did not want a Green vs Labour battle.
On Monday night, former Labour MP Andrew Little confirmed he had Labour's backing to contest the mayoralty.
Whanau said when she had put her name forward to run for mayor again, she was worried there were no viable candidates, but Little's entering the race had "changed the game" and she wanted to focus on what was important to her.
"I have a lot of respect for Andrew and his leadership skills. He has support from many corners and the skills and experience to unite our council. The progressive goals I have fought for are at risk this election and I do not want a Green vs Labour narrative to distract from what's important for our city. That is not what this election should be about," she said.
Whanau said she would instead run for the council's Māori Ward, and support other Green candidates to be elected to the council.
"I want to continue making Pōneke a city that embraces Te Tiriti, work closely with mana whenua and deliver on affordable housing, nature and water."
Whanau had just launched the start of the Golden Mile Courtenay Place precinct upgrade, and said it was a key milestone for her mayoralty and the "transformative change" she campaigned on.
She said she was also proud of the council's $1.8b investment in water, the passing of the district plan, 27km of new cycleways and 8km of bus priority lanes, the planting of 223,000 trees, work to switch the pool network from fossil fuel heating to renewables, a boost to funding city safety and tackling homelessness, and funding the City Mission to open New Zealand's first wet house.
She said the council was also on track to complete the Moa Point waste minimisation plant, Te Matapihi/Central Library and Town Hall re-openings, the completion of Te Ngākau Civic Square, and the re-generation of Courtenay Place.
Whanau had also previously been open about how she considered quitting the mayoralty after facing scrutiny for her political and personal challenges.
The government had appointed a Crown observer to the council, who observed the council faced challenges similar to many others around the country, although noted it would have been possible for the council to sign off on its long term plan, and decide later to sell or keep its 34 percent stake in the airport.
"Change isn't easy and will always have its critics. But I have stayed true to the vision I was elected to deliver and always been upfront about the challenges we face," Whanau said.
Whanau's exit means Little will now go up against current councillor Ray Chung, former councillor Rob Goulden, conservationist Kelvin Hastie, businessman Karl Tiefenbacher and Wellington Live's Graham Bloxham.
Little, who was confirmed at a Wellington Labour Local Body Committee on Monday evening, said he was honoured to received Labour's backing.
"I intend to run a people-powered volunteer campaign involving tens of thousands of door knocks, phone calls and deliveries. The support of local Labour volunteers will be invaluable as we build our campaign network," he said.
Wellington challenges
In a statement, Little credited Whanau for getting on with the job in the face of online abuse.
"I also want to say that while criticism of public leaders is healthy and necessary in a democracy, at times during Tory's mayoralty this has crossed a line into personal abuse, particularly in online spaces.
"This sort of abuse discourages good people from standing for public office and it needs to stop."
Wellington faced significant challenges that required urgent attention, he said. "From infrastructure issues to housing affordability and unaffordable rates increases, there's a growing consensus that we need a new direction."
He called on those who supported Whanau to back him.
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