“I’m younger than the President of America … And look at the damage he’s doing.”
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown is set to turn 80 on Sunday. Photo / Dean Purcell
Asked how he felt about the milestone, and turning 80 while leading the city, Brown said he’d retired several times before the mayoralty and has “another four or five new businesses to start when I finish this”.
“I was just hoping I’d live long enough to see the City Rail Link finished.”
Brown said he planned to celebrate the occasion “in the usual manner”, hinting at the inclusion of live music from a band.
“Champagne and good food and stuff like that, and mates.
“Mine are a s***load of mates, so they’re hard to come by.”
Brown will join the ranks of other seniors in top leadership positions, including New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, 81, US President Donald Trump, 80, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also 80.
During his appearance, the mayor also welcomed yesterday’s announcement that Auckland ratepayers and taxpayers would jointly fund a $1 million study investigating the viability of Point Chevalier’s Meola Reef as the site of a proposed second Waitematā Harbour crossing.
As his preferred route, and one he has long advocated for, the mayor backed confirmation of the study while criticising the millions already spent, arguing we should “have a look at something sensible without getting too worried about worrywarts”.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered to your inbox every weekday.