{"id":72453,"date":"2025-10-11T18:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T18:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/72453\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T18:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T18:37:10","slug":"andrew-little-wins-mayoralty-bid-in-wellington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/72453\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrew Little wins mayoralty bid in Wellington"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Little has convincingly won his bid to be the mayor of Wellington, saying he is excited and “somewhat daunted” by the role.<\/p>\n

In April, the former Labour Party leader and senior cabinet minister announced he would run for Wellington’s top job.<\/p>\n

Not long after, Tory Whanau announced she would not seek re-election for the role and would instead look to be the next Wellington M\u0101ori ward councillor.<\/p>\n

Based on current results, she has lost that race to Labour candidate Matthew Reweti.<\/p>\n

\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Andrew Little has won Wellington’s top job. (File photo) Photo: RNZ \/ Samuel Rillstone (Source: rnz.co.nz)<\/p>\n

With 85% of the vote in, Little received 34,240 votes, a comfortable lead over runner-up Karl Tiefenbacher, who got 8807, and third-placed Ray Chung, who received 6838 votes.<\/p>\n

On the returned votes, fellow Labour candidates Ben McNulty, Afnan Al-Rubayee, Nureddin Abdurahman, Sam O’Brien and Matthew Reweti were elected.<\/p>\n

Based on the same data, Greens candidates Geordie Rogers, Rebecca Matthews, Jonny Osborne and Laurie Foon will join them.<\/p>\n

Those results would mean left-leaning party-aligned candidates would make up 10 of the 16 seats on council, including the mayor.<\/p>\n

When asked how he felt, Little said he was thrilled, excited and somewhat daunted.<\/p>\n

“I know there are big challenges, but I feel very privileged and honoured to have the confidence of Wellingtonians.”<\/p>\n

Little said people had seen him as a person with a set of skills and a track record of leadership.<\/p>\n

He said he was notified of his win by a call by the Wellington City Council chief executive Matt Prosser.<\/p>\n

Little first entered politics in 2011 and left parliament following Labour’s 2023 election defeat.<\/p>\n

He shot to the party leadership in 2014, but stood down just two months out from the 2017 election, making way for Jacinda Ardern, who went on to become prime minister.<\/p>\n

During his time in government, Little held 12 ministerial portfolios.<\/p>\n

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