Tory Whanau portrait

Tory Whanau

Party Independent Green
Official Candidate Biography

As the current Mayor of Wellington it would be an honour to serve another term and work to deliver better outcomes for mana whenua. 

Under my mayoralty, we’ve made amazing progress for the city: A record investment of $1.8b in water and over 9,000 leaks fixed; Passing the District Plan to enable thousands of new homes, 373 affordable rentals and upgrades now planned for over 800 social housing units; 27 km new cycleways and bus priority lanes have doubled from 4km to 8km; Planted 223,000 trees around Wellington; On track to open the Central Library, Civic Square and the Town Hall in the next two years

Plus much more. A want to continue leading a community that celebrates diversity and looks after its most vulnerable. Most importantly, I want us to ensure we're honouring te tiriti with our iwi partners.

Connect with Tory Whanau
Tory Whanau’s Elections & Candidacies

Contested 2 races — 1 won 1 pending

2022 NZ Local Government Local
  • Mayor
    Wellington City Council
    Affiliation: Independent Green
    Final Won
2025 NZ Local Government Local
  • Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori Ward
    Wellington City Council
    Affiliation: Green Party
    Filed
In the News
The mayors, the media man and the mystery shrouding Upper Hutt’s election
The Spinoff — September 10, 2025

An abusive email was sent to an Upper Hutt mayoral candidate. The sender says he has nothing to do with the incumbent mayor’s campaign. But locals and other mayors suspect otherwise.

Iwi backing shakes up Wellington Māori ward race
The Post — September 3, 2025

Labour’s Matthew Reweti has secured heavyweight iwi backing, challenging incumbent mayor Tory Whanau’s bid for the seat.

Windbag: Abolishing Thursdays, bulldozing the Johnsonville mall, and other notes from the campaign trail
The Spinoff — September 2, 2025

The Wellington mayoral campaign is in full swing, and things are getting weird.

Tory Whanau launches campaign for Māori ward seat
The Post — August 28, 2025

“I will not pretend this journey has been without pain,” the outgoing mayor of Wellington tells supporters, but says serving as mayor has been the greatest privilege of her life.

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