Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has announced she is no longer running for a second term.
In a statement, Whanau said Andrew Little entering the race had "changed the game", and she did not want a "Green vs. Labour narrative to distract from what’s important for our city".
"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."
Incumbent announced she would instead run for the Māori Ward for Wellington City Council. (Source: 1News)
She said when she first put her name forward for Mayor, she was "worried there were no viable candidates".
"Now that has changed, I can now focus on what is important to me."
Whanau announced she would instead run for the Māori Ward for Wellington City Council.
Whanau had just launched the start of the Golden Mile Courtenay Place precinct upgrade, and she was "proud of the transformative change we have set in motion under my Mayoralty", and noted some highlights from her time in office.
She also pointed to investment in water infrastructure, construction of 27km of cycleways and passing a housing-intensive District Plan.
"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," she said.
"We have a strong Green team running for Council this election and I’m excited that together we will continue to deliver progressive and transformational change for Wellington."
Whanau's exit means Little will now go up against councillor Ray Chung, Rob Goulden, Kelvin Hastie, Karl Tiefenbacher and Graham Bloxham.
Little acknowledges Whanau's service to Wellington
In a statement this morning, Andrew Little acknowledged Whanau's decision not to seek re-election, and her "service to Wellington".
"Tory took on the mayoralty during a tough time for Wellington and regardless of our differences in approach I want to recognise her hard work and her dedication to the city.
"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. It is to her credit that she got on with the job in spite of it. This sort of abuse discourages good people from standing for public office and it needs to stop."
He said his focus remained on campaigning to win a mandate for change at the local elections in October.
"As I speak with people across our city, it’s clear that Wellington faces significant challenges that require urgent attention. From infrastructure issues to housing affordability and unaffordable rates increases, there’s a growing consensus that we need a new direction."
Whanau reflects on being a woman in politics
Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau told Breakfast she had "no regrets" and said she could now focus on being a "really effective councillor". (Source: Breakfast)
Speaking to Breakfast, Whanau said the "political landscape has changed" during her time as Mayor, particularly for women in politics.
"When I first entered local body, Jacinda [Ardern] was still the Prime Minister and things were quite different.
"Politics has changed, and as people have already alluded to, I think women in politics have experienced a significant amount of online abuse and online violence," she said.
"So as part of my new role, hopefully as a councillor, that will also give me time to dedicate to advocacy work to ensure those pathways for women into politics, that's a huge passion of mine."
She reflected on some of the online criticism she faced, saying it had "actually created a significant amount of resilience".
"I have a much thicker skin now, so I thought this would probably be quite an opportune time to step aside from the main role and again look at look at ways we can improve our politics for women.
"I'm human and certainly right at the beginning when I was less experienced, you know, a lot of it was quite hurtful. And I think what hurt the most was actually my family having to see some of those comments."
Asked whether she felt a weight had been lifted off her shoulders by the decision, she said: "a little bit".
"There's a huge sense of relief. I'm so passionate about my city, I'll do anything for it, and I would have happily stood again had Andrew Little not put his hand up, but I think he'd be a great Mayor."
She said she looked up to Little as a politician, and "saw he really wants this".
“I think actually the both of us on Council would be really wonderful. We care about the same things. So I decided to step aside to give him a clear runway for the mayoralty."
Asked if she had any regrets, Whanau said: "In hindsight, perhaps serving as a councillor first would have helped me navigate and learn the ways of local government and learning how to be a public figure".
"But you know, other than that, there have been no regrets. And actually because I've been a mayor now, I can be an incredible councillor."
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