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Newsroom
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsroom
Given the Wayne Brown silent treatment, Leoni finds her voice
Kerrin Leoni might not get to debate the incumbent Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown this campaign, but she's not going to stay silent on what she sees as his deficiencies as a leader. Leoni, the 45-year-old first-term councillor who is challenging Brown after others around the council table declined, has some serious questions over whether he is the best Auckland can come up with. She's already proactively outed Brown as declining to attend the first candidates' debate, and his intimation that he might not participate in any. 'I mean, it's the most important job in the city and that's the least you can do as a candidate is show up, you know. I think it's shocking. As a sitting mayor, he should be attending all debates.' As a lesser-known challenger, she would say that. But Brown's indications that he might seek to deny Leoni and the other seven candidates the oxygen of his presence at campaign events would be rare for Auckland politics. His Super City predecessors Phil Goff and Len Brown engaged in debates after their first terms in office. Leoni sees the Brown tactic as representing a wider withdrawal by the mayor from the types of duties and expectations on city leaders. She alleges he removes himself regularly to his Northland home base, leaving Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson to pick up the community appearances so assiduously attended by Goff and Len Brown. 'When I've been out in places from Pukekohe to Warkworth, in so many areas, they've said they just don't see him. 'We should be providing leadership that's actually seen. The role of the mayor is not just to be making decisions up in the ivory tower.' Leoni, who represents the Whau ward based around Avondale and the inner west, says she thinks Brown is also focused on what's wrong with the city, rather than a vision for what it could become. 'I'm focused on the long-term plan of this, because I think it's easy to come in and say, 'these are all the things that are bad about what's happening with Auckland and the council. 'We need to have someone that's actually got a balance. I'm saying, 'Sort what's wrong, but what should we be doing to plan for the future of our city'.' Her campaign's initial slogan is Kerrin Leoni – 'The new energy Auckland needs'. Auckland mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kuri Councillor, Whau ward 2022-25 Local Board member, Waitematā 2019-22 Age: 45 Mother to twins Atarangi and Kahu, aged 8 Brought up: Mt Roskill and Waiheke Island School: Waiheke High School University: AUT (MA in social services and Māori development), King's College, London (MA in economics and international politics) Worked as: social worker, property investor, own consultancy and charity organiser (UK) She also marks down Brown for his verbal treatment of councillors around the Governing Body table, his targeting of individual councillors by challenging them under his Fix Auckland banner and his suitability at age 79 to take a city like Auckland forward. Leoni questions just what Brown wants to achieve in a second term, into his 80s. 'I mean, if we were going into another term where there were clear predictions about what his policies were going to be for the next term … but I haven't seen any of his policies except for he wants to continue with reining in Auckland Transport, which, you know, I already agree with that.' In late 2024 she indicated to the mayor she might challenge him, she says, and 'he was more than happy for me to stand, not that I needed his permission. He just said 'There's a few more things that I feel I need to do'. I said 'Well, what are they that you'd need another whole term for?' But he didn't identify anything else and he hasn't.' Hat in the ring Leoni (Ngāti Paoa, Ngāi Takoto and Ngāti Kuri) served a term on the Waitematā Local Board before narrowly claiming the Ward council seat in 2022, giving her six years as an elected member of the Auckland Council set-up. She has not been a high-profile councillor regionally, is not one of the 20 who need to hear the sound of their own voices endlessly at every council meeting, and was something of a surprise when she emerged as the leading candidate for the 'left' in this election. She tells Newsroom she asked other councillors if they would stand against Brown and when none stepped up, she stepped forward. 'My focus was to make sure Aucklanders had a good candidate who they could vote for. 'I did ask other councillors whether they were interested in standing – and ones that have more experience than me – and they were not interested. But obviously, you know, I don't feel you have to be in local government for 20 years or 50 years to do a good job. I think it's really important, actually, that I'm coming in with fresh eyes.' She's not flying the Labour Party banner that got her elected by 260 votes three years ago in Whau, the ward she's standing down from by standing for the mayor's chair. 'You know, as mayor, you've got to be seen as impartial to all Aucklanders. I'm definitely standing as an independent. 'So I'm just going to do the best that we can and I don't want to be seen as just the Labour candidate, or just any candidate. I want to be seen as the candidate for all of Auckland.' She has not sought formal endorsements from a political party, unions or left-wing luminaries, but cites former Labour PM Helen Clark and the late Labour figure and mayor Cath Tizard as political inspirations. She joined Labour when she returned from the UK because 'I've always wanted to look at ways that we could help people that haven't had great opportunities.' Policy platform When the Deputy Mayor, Desley Simpson, announced she would not challenge Brown, but instead act as his Fix Auckland running mate, she revealed her team had failed to identify a political platform sufficiently different to what Brown currently occupies. Leoni thinks the vision for a future Auckland is the missing link in what Brown has delivered – and something he cannot offer. 'I'll be campaigning on a 30-year plan for the city, not just short-term fixes.' She promises to announce a couple of policies a week through the key campaign weeks (postal voting opens on Tuesday September 9 ahead of the Saturday, October 11 election date). She lived for many years in the UK and believes Auckland needs to embrace some big infrastructure projects such as a rail link all the way to the airport, beyond the current train to bus interchange at the Puhinui station in Manukau, and passenger rail to both Huapai in the west, and from south to west from Southdown to Avondale to bring communities together. Leoni is not promising a showstopper policy platform like previous mayoral candidate John Tamihere, with a second tier and rail added to the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge. 'I think I'm going to be the more realistic candidate.' She favours a second bridge, side by side with the current structure, catering for mid-term needs ahead of any plan for a cross harbour tunnel. 'I know the tunnel is very expensive and I know central government does not have the money to actually pay for that. Even the cost to do the side by side raises a question mark. But we know it's more effective to get that done first if we can.' Leoni was deputy chair of the Waitematā local board in her first stint in local government. Photo: Auckland Council Leoni says as a councillor she signed up for the council's Long-term Plan and its projected average rates increase for next year of 7.9 percent (after this year's average 5.8 percent), and to keep future rises under double digits. 'Definitely be keeping them under 10 percent. 'If there are going to be any changes in that budget probably the rates won't be affected, but we know we have to keep the rates down, the feedback we're getting is that is definitely one of the top priorities as people are just struggling.' She believes the current $50 cap on public transport fares weekly might have been set too high, and there could be scope to lower it, possibly as far as $30 to encourage people to keep using buses and trains. On debt, (which despite Brown condemning the council's indebtedness before his election of around $11 billion is set to rise towards $14b) Leoni says only that she's 'not a supporter of debt going up when it doesn't need to, and we need to continue to keep the debt as low as possible. We've got to be accountable for every dollar we spend.' She promises to implement a policy that if the council encounters an 'overspend that's going to happen, then it's going to come out of the budget somewhere else. I've got a very strong view that we've got to stop overspending as a council. We've got to be clear that's not going to happen any more.' To a suggestion she's saying the same thing as her opponent, Leoni says 'I think that there would be an assumption given that I have got a left-leaning history that I wouldn't continue that. But I'm making it clear that I would.' One personal focus for her would be council contracting costs, particularly functions out-sourced to international conglomerates. 'My understanding is that a significant amount of the tier 1 contractors are actually Australian-owned businesses. That profit is going overseas and we should be bringing that profit back into Auckland, into our circular economy.' She thinks procurement contracts at the local board should be examined for potential cost savings. 'If that means we have to scale down some of the criteria and review the whole system, we should. We need to localise some of that contracting there to save money.' The counter argument would be that large contractors across the region bring economies of scale, but Leoni, who studied economics and international politics for her second master's degree, at King's College, London, says it hasn't been so in reality. 'Why have we continued to have overspends?' Leoni with her children Atarangi and Kahu at a Blues match at Eden Park this year. Photo: Supplied Social media and women in politics As a relatively new figure in city politics, a woman, of Māori and Italian/Irish descent, Leoni perhaps surprisingly hasn't yet been a serious target of social media trolling or abuse that afflicts so many in her position. 'I'm not getting it yet. I've been waiting for it, actually, but the reality is people are probably not going to put it onto my page anyway. 'But, I'm mentally prepared for it and I'm practising my responses and not to be too reactive, because you've got to expect it is likely to happen. 'I mean, to any male who would say, well 'You can't run a city', I'm like 'Well, we're already running the city. I'm a regional councillor, I'm already making decisions,' she says. 'The only difference between our job and the mayor is that he sets a budget, which we get to sign off anyway and he's got to get a majority of the vote for. 'And he's supposed to be the leader and a visionary for the city, which I don't think he does that well.' She says she's been relatively un-targeted by the mayor in council meetings because she has been 'quite direct' with him since the start of the term. 'He probably hasn't singled me out as much as I've seen him single out others. 'But he's made inappropriate comments to me; like, I think one was that if I was going to vote for the sale of the airport shares, I'd never be an MP [Leoni stood for Labour in 2020 in the blue-riband National seat of Waikato]. And I thought, 'You don't have control over that'.' From the moment she announced her candidacy, Leoni has heard and seen comments likening her to another single Māori woman mayor, Wellington's outgoing leader Tory Whanau, who faced intense personal criticism over her private and political conduct. 'I think it is quite sad that our country and our city might think like that,' the councillor says. 'But I guess that was my frustration when I came back from living in the UK, [in 2015] it felt like I'd come back to the 1950s in terms of our thinking and those things around racism and sexism and everything else – and the expectation that you have to be an old white male to be able to make decisions for the city. I mean, it's just appalling.' She spoke to Whanau about the pressures directly. 'She admits, and I think she's said this in media elsewhere, that it would have been helpful for her to do a term first [as a councillor] before becoming mayor. We had that conversation and I said to her, well, I've done two terms in local government. It was helpful.' Five years ago Leoni took on the un-winnable National Waikato seat for Labour at the general election, narrowing National's majority from 15,000 to 5000 as part of the Labour landslide. Grander ambitions Because of her candidacy for Parliament in 2020, Leoni also faces repeated quips about her stand for the mayoralty being driven by seeking profile towards a decent spot on the Labour Party's list for the 2026 general election. She shrugs that off, focusing on Brown's job. 'I actually love local government and the experiences I've had have been very positive. Local government is where it's at for our communities. 'I mean, central government is always going to be there and I'm only 45 years old. Look at Wayne, he's 78 or 79. So I've got many years ahead of me in politics. You look at Winston Peters, and you know, Shane Jones. I'm not in any rush to get into central government. 'My concern is doing the best for Auckland and providing the best leadership.' Nine weeks to go Winning the Auckland mayoralty is a high-cost exercise, with Brown using a considerable sum from his own funds in 2022. Without union or party backing explicitly, how does Leoni see a path to increasing her name, face and vote recognition? 'The fundraising has been a bit of a challenge, and I think that's more of a cultural thing for me. In the past I've been able to fund some of it and done some fundraising.' For the mayoralty, region-wide and trying to grab profile on motorway billboards and the like, 'we do need to take it up a level. But we've got the basics of the campaign, the billboards, the people who are happy to give out the leaflets and door knock, which I think is great.' She is a confident figure, right back to her high school days winning an award from then-Auckland mayor Les Mills, through to buying her first home from age 21 and trading property ever since, studying in the UK and forming her own consultancy and charity. She's raising her eight-year-old twins while a councillor and acting as landlord for three properties. But she is not sounding over-confident of being able to knock off a well-heeled incumbent mayor. She knows, like the late Efeso Collins at the last election, she'll need votes from beyond traditional left-leaning districts. The voting-heavy districts of north and east Auckland will need special attention. Leoni says she learned during her bid for Parliament in the National stronghold of Waikato that: 'Make sure you don't assume that the people that you think aren't going to vote for you won't actually vote for you. You've got to put yourself in front of everyone.' Asked what success would look like for her in nine weeks, when the polling is done, Leoni does not mention the word 'winning'. 'Success is making sure that we do get right across the city and that we have policies that are clear for Aucklanders. 'It's about having good policies that Aucklanders see as good for them, having good leadership for every single group. 'So yeah, looking back at it at the end and saying that regardless of whatever the outcome that we've had a good campaign and that we've done a great job and I think that's all we can expect, you know. Given that I don't have $50 million.'
NZ Herald
01-08-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Wayne Brown aims for re-election, targets councillors in Auckland race
Brown's main competition for the mayoralty is coming from the first-term councillor Kerrin Leoni, but he's also focused on securing strong control of the 21-member council. After Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson signed up for Fix Auckland in May after mulling a challenge for the top job, Victoria Short and Gary Brown came forward to stand for the two council seats in the Albany ward. Brown has little time for the sitting councillors, John Watson and Wayne Walker, whom he dubs the 'Albanians' behind their backs. Likewise, he's tired of the two Manukau councillors, Lotu Fuli and Alf Filipaina. The two Fix Auckland candidates are Luke Mealamu and Vicky Hau. Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu, owns a large security firm and Hau is the Māngere Town Centre manager. Short and Gary Brown are both members of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, and Gary Brown contested the mayoral race in 2022, finishing fifth. Brown said the Fix Auckland candidates for 'Albania' and Manukau were four 'exceptionally good people' who had approached him wanting to be councillors and believed in the direction he was taking Auckland. Fix Auckland candidates Viky Hau and Luke Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu. He said the councillors from 'Albania' and Manukau had not voted for fixing Auckland and consistently voted against anything that reduces money. Walker said Brown had gone out of his way to run him and John Watson down and didn't like opposition around the council table. 'John and I will run a vigorous campaign and always take the prospect of competition seriously, and that's a healthy situation. Because of the effort we put in, we get a lot of support, and that really helps,' he said. The pair have recorded big wins in Albany against all-comers since 2013. At the 2022 election, they were 5000 votes clear of Short, who came third. There was no doubt, Fuli said, that the mayor was targeting herself and Filipaina. 'I think that is because of the charge I led in trying to save the Auckland Airport shares for the people of Manukau, but also for all of Auckland. 'He assumes he will win, be back in the seat of power and wants to ensure he has got the numbers around the table for the next term,' she said. Fuli was looking forward to the contest, saying: 'I'm in the community all the time and I stand on that and, of course, Alf is a local legend. Everybody knows him. Everybody loves him.' Those standing for the mayoralty are John Alcock, Wayne Brown (Fix Auckland), Eric Chuah, Michael Coote (Independent), Ted Johnston (Independent), Kerrin Leoni, Denise Widdison (Independent), Rob McNeil (Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ), Ryan Pausina, Jason Pieterse, Simon Stan (Independent), Peter Wakeman (Independent). The councillors not seeking re-election are: Angela Dalton (Manurewa-Papakura) Chris Darby (North Shore) Kerrin Leoni (Whau - standing for mayor) Sharon Stewart (Howick) One surprise candidate is former National MP and Manukau City councillor Jami-Lee Ross, who is running in the Flat Bush subdivision of the Howick Local Board. Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is looking to make a political comeback in October's local body elections. Ross spectacularly quit the National Party in 2018 over an allegation of leaking confidential party information (he was later found not guilty in a Serious Fraud Office trial), and was dogged by allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. Ross told the Herald today he has the 'past experience and skillset to be an effective advocate' for Howick residents and after a five-year hiatus, he is ready to take a stab at politics again. The council wards of Ōrākei and Rodney are uncontested, which means Simpson and Greg Sayers are automatically re-elected. Due to a surge in nominations received at noon, eligible nominees that weren't validated yesterday will appear on the final list of candidates to be published on Monday. All the nominations remain subject to the Electoral Officer's final review and approval. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
31-07-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown criticises councillors for missing meetings
At the start of today's governing body meeting, the mayor pointed out that five of the city's 20 councillors were joining the meeting remotely. 'I'm going to deal with them one by one. 'I want to make sure that people understand you have an obligation to be here unless you've got a good reason. 'Some of the councillor committees haven't had enough people to have the meetings, and it's just not good enough.' He noted councillor Christine Fletcher was overseas, and councillor Alf Filipaina was unwell. He said councillor Maurice Williamson was recovering after surgery. 'I've just seen a photo of him and he's definitely incapacitated.' He said councillor Julie Fairey was also recovering at home after a car hit her while she was biking. 'I feel somewhat sorry for councillor Fairey. She's had the misfortune to be run over by a car. 'We wish her well in her recovery as someone who's particularly worried about bike safety.' However, he took a jab at one councillor, Wayne Walker. 'Councillor Walker ... he hasn't been run over by a car, I'm sure someone will provide one.' Councillor Lotu Fuli raised a point of order, calling it unusual to review councillors' reasons for not attending a meeting in person. She said there had been attendance issues at committees and not the governing body meeting. Councillor and mayoral hopeful Kerrin Leoni called the mayor's comments inappropriate. 'I think it's really inappropriate to make jokes about people. If we've got a reason why they're not here, we should just be sticking to that and not talking about people getting run over. 'People have been run over,' the mayor responded. Walker told RNZ he informed council staff he had the flu and would be joining the meeting via video link. He said the mayor had been 'going after' him and his fellow Albany ward councillor John Watson during previous meetings, dubbing them 'the Albanians'. Walker said he had disagreed with the mayor on privatising the Port of Auckland and the future of North Harbour Stadium. 'It's disappointing that he made those comments. 'He's after power and control.' It comes as the mayor has announced two candidates, Victoria Short and Gary Brown, will contest the Albany ward on his Fix Auckland ticket. - RNZ
Scoop
30-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fix Auckland Announces Strong Candidates For Albany Ward: Victoria Short And Gary Brown To Drive Practical Change
Fix Auckland, led by Mayor Wayne Brown is committed to delivering tangible results for Auckland and fixing the Auckland Council. Wayne Brown is pleased to announce two formidable candidates for the Albany Ward: Victoria Short and Gary Brown. Albany Ward residents can be confident that Victoria and Gary will be strong, effective voices at the Council table. 'Both individuals bring a wealth of experience and a commitment to sound financial management. With their deep understanding of local community needs, they embodyg the "Fix Auckland" ethos of practical, accountable governance. 'The Albany Ward would be well served by Gary Brown and Victoria Short as their Councillors. Their combined experience and dedication to transparent, results-focused leadership perfectly align with Fix Auckland's mission. 'They the importance of fixing our infrastructure, supporting local businesses, and ensuring every ratepayer dollar delivers real value.' Says Wayne Brown. Victoria Short said 'Residents can expect a team that stands firmly for accountability, transparency, and results. One committed to elevating the voices of everyday Aucklanders and are focused on ensuring that every dollar is accounted for." Gary Brown said "As a team we bring a powerful message of transformation, accountability, and community-first governance to Auckland Council. We have a shared vision to reshape how the council operates and we want to ensure that the ratepayer is at the forefront of every financial decision we make.' Biographies Victoria Short brings a decade of experience navigating local and central government, ensuring she knows "how to get things done." As a trained accountant, Victoria will bring scrutiny to financial decision-making and Council spending, driving value for every dollar. Her focus is on transparent, accountable decision-making, with a commitment to fixing infrastructure, supporting local businesses, and improving community services. A dedicated volunteer trustee for Life Education North Shore, Victoria is deeply invested in youth and community well-being. She is committed to listening to residents, fixing what's broken, and fiercely advocating for East Coast Bays, Hibiscus Coast, and Upper Harbour, working constructively with fellow Councillors to cut waste and drive progress for Auckland. Gary Brown, a proven local leader, is currently the Deputy Chair of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and a local businessman. He has consistently championed community projects and delivered results. With over 30 years of deep roots in the community, including extensive involvement with North Harbour Rugby and the Silverdale Rugby Club, Gary possesses a profound understanding of the Albany Ward's diverse needs. Gary advocates for locals, wise investment in infrastructure to create a thriving, world-class Auckland. His common-sense approach prioritises empowering local boards, embracing innovation, and ensuring transparent, accountable leadership for better services and value for money. Fix Auckland believes that Victoria Short and Gary Brown will be powerful advocates for the Albany Ward, working tirelessly to ensure the Council focuses on essential services, fiscal responsibility, and tangible improvements for residents.
The Spinoff
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Nominations are now open – so how are the big mayoral races shaping up?
With just a couple of months until voting opens, this is what we know about the most high-profile chain chases around the country. As of today, nominations for the forthcoming local elections are officially open – potential candidates have until August 1 to throw their proverbial pōtae into the ring. If you're a New Zealand citizen, can find two people to support your bid (they have to be enrolled to vote in the area you want to stand in, but you don't) and can scrape together $200 (it might be refunded if you get enough votes), you can fill out a form to stand as a member of a board or ward, a councillor or, indeed, a mayor. While there's always a chance of a big surprise when the candidate lists are released on August 6, most people weighing up a bid for mayor will have made up their mind and made their decision public already – voting opens on September 9, by the way, and closes on October 11. Here's who's definitely in and definitely out in the bigger centres. AUCKLAND Current deputy mayor Desley Simpson kept us guessing until early June, when she finally ruled out a bid to take her boss's job (no doubt disappointing her son, who had registered the domain at the start of the year). She'll be supporting mayor Wayne Brown in his run for re-election, standing as Whau councillor under Brown's Fix Auckland banner rather than with her old C&R team. Surprise late contender notwithstanding, the field is looking pretty sparse: Brown's main challenger is likely to be Whau councillor Kerrin Leoni, who's a Labour member but not officially endorsed by the party. The only other confirmed candidate thus far is former New Conservatives leader Ted Johnston, who came fifth in the Auckland mayoral race in 2019 and ninth in 2022. North Shore councillor Richard Hills, who had neither confirmed nor denied a bid for mayor at the time of our last mayoral race stocktake back in February, has now officially ruled himself out. HAMILTON With incumbent Paula Southgate calling it a day, Kirikiriroa will be getting a brand new mayor come October, and a couple of frontrunners have emerged. Left-leaning councillor Sarah Thomson, who was undecided at the time of our earlier story, has now confirmed she's in to win, as has former National MP Tim Macindoe, who has the support of fellow ' fiscal conservative' councillor Geoff Taylor. Former Labour MP Jamie Strange, who was considering a run, has now ruled it out. LOWER HUTT The race to fill the shoes of Campbell Barry, who in April announced he wouldn't be seeking a third term as mayor of Lower Hutt, is heating up, with at least four candidates confirming their intention to run. Hutt City councillors Karen Morgan and Brady Dyer put their hands up earlier in the year, as did Prabha Ravi, who runs an Indian dance school in Avalon. They were this week joined by the world-famous-in-Wainuiomata Ken Laban, who's a big deal in rugby league circles and is currently Lower Hutt's representative on the Greater Wellington Regional Council. NB: The council of the city of Lower Hutt is called Hutt City Council, but the official title for the mayor who heads up that council is mayor of Lower Hutt, not mayor of Hutt City. Do not confuse either with the mighty Upper Hutt, where Peri Zee is challenging long-time incumbent Wayne Guppy for the mayoral chains. WELLINGTON After consistently expressing her intention to run for another term, current mayor Tory Whanau dropped out of the race in late April, shortly after former Labour leader Andrew Little had thrown his hat into the ring. Little is the frontrunner, but he's not short of opponents – at this stage they number six, all of whom have one thing in common: they're men. Current councillor Ray Chung is Little's biggest challenger on the right, running under the oxymoronically named ticket Independent Together. He's joined by ' slightly right-leaning centrist ' and 'ice cream guy' Karl Tiefenbacher, former Wellington Live owner, banana suit wearer and branch enthusiast Graham Bloxham, former Wellington City councillor Rob Goulden, 'predator-free champion' Kelvin Hastie and ' unapologetically progressive ' accountant Alex Baker. CHRISTCHURCH Centre-right incumbent Phil Mauger is going for a second term, but he'll be challenged by green-tinged councillor Sara Templeton. According to The Press, the last time a sitting mayor was unseated at an election in Christchurch was in 1974, but given Mauger won only narrowly in 2022, and has faced criticism for backtracking on a rates cap election promise, Templeton has a fighting chance. Still no word on whether The Wizard, whose Facebook page indicates he's been thinking a lot about Marxists and wokeism rather than mayoral elections of late, is giving it another crack, nor perennial candidate Tubby Hansen. DUNEDIN There's now a healthy field of candidates taking on current Ōtepoti mayor Jules Radich, including ' slightly left-of-centre ' businessman and Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board chair Andrew Simms, Green Party candidate Mickey Treadwell and a bunch of current city councillors: Sophie Barker, Lee Vandervis, Mandy Mayhem and Carmen Houlahan. In a controversial move, councillors Andrew Whiley and Kevin Gilbert, who ran under Radich's Team Dunedin ticket in 2022, have thrown their weight behind Barker for her 2025 campaign. AND ALSO… Here's a non-exhaustive whistle-stop tour through the rest of the country: Councillor Ann Court is taking on incumbent Moko Tepania, aka ' New Zealand's most popular mayor ', in the Far North, while Whangārei mayor Vince Cocurullo is facing a challenge from councillor Marie Olsen. Kaipara mayor Craig Jepson, the self-proclaimed 'Trump of the north', withdrew from the race in June to back the mayoral campaign of his current deputy, Jonathan Larsen. Councillor Ash Nayyar and businessman and community leader Snow Tane will be taking him on. Mahe Drysdale will retain his mayoral chains in Tauranga, because it did the whole election thing last year. Incumbent Tania Tapsell is having another go in Rotorua, but her challengers remain to be seen. Napier mayor Kirsten Wise is keen for a third term, but she'll have competition from councillor Richard McGrath. Over in Hastings, mayor Sandra Hazlehurst is retiring, with councillors Wendy Schollum and Marcus Buddo and businessman Steve Gibson bidding to replace her. Incumbent Rehette Stoltz is having another crack at Gisborne, but there are no clear challengers yet. New Plymouth District councillor Sam Bennett and Murray 'Muzz' McDowell are challenging current mayor Neil Holdom for the chains in Ngāmotu. Paddy Gower swears he is not, despite rumours to the contrary. Palmerston North mayor Grant Smith is standing again, with councillor Orphée Mickalad set to take him on. Andrew Tripe, mayor of Whanganui, wants a second term, and will be challenged by councillors Peter Oskam and Josh Chandulal-Mackay. In Nelson, Nick Smith is standing again, but it's not yet clear who will be taking him on. Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor is also having another go, with no one else putting their hand up yet. Queenstown Lakes incumbent Glyn Lewers is running again, with John Glover and Nik Kiddle set to take him on. The controversial Nobby Clark will not be running for Invercargill mayor again, but a bevy of councillors are putting their hands up: Alex Crackett, Ian Pottinger, deputy mayor Tom Campbell and former NZ First MP Ria Bond. No word yet on Bluff wizard Noel Peterson, who was thinking about having another crack after 2022's disappointing result. In Gore, Ben Bell – who had a as New Zealand's youngest mayor – is standing again, with any challengers yet to emerge.
