Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown will undergo surgery this month following a hip injury sustained during a tennis match.
In a statement, an Auckland Council spokesperson said the 79-year-old was injured "chasing down a cheeky drop shot" during a match last year.
"The Mayor will be unavailable on March 24 but is expected to resume his normal duties the following day. He may be unavailable to attend some events for a short period afterwards," a spokesperson said.
Brown expected to be back on the court at his beloved West End Tennis Club "soon enough, chasing down lobs and sending the occasional backhand winner skidding down the line".
This was the same club's members Brown texted in a leaked WhatsApp group message in 2023, saying he was forced to cancel tennis to meet with "media drongos" after Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
"Anyhow I've got to deal with media drongos over the flooding tomorrow so sadly no tennis for me tomorrow," he said to the group at the time.
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