Tory Whanau
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
Note: This database contains data from the 2023, 2020, 2017 and 2014 general elections, the 2025 local government election and is gradually being backfilled with other election data.
Contested 2 races — 1 elected 1 not elected
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Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori WardWellington City CouncilAffiliation: Green PartyFinal Not electedVote share • 36.5%1,148 votes
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Final ElectedVote share • 39.9%34,462 votes
Offices held
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MayorWellington City CouncilAffiliation: IndependentOct 2022 – Oct 2025
In the News
Shock, some regrets but mostly relief, says Tory Whanau as she looks ahead to life outside council
Stuff — October 14, 2025Tory Whanau found herself hoping the final results would stay the same after losing the race for Wellington’s Māori ward, she told Stuff.
Winners, losers, big losers and gigantic losers from the 2025 local elections
The Spinoff — October 13, 2025Winner: the endless cycle of underinvestment in core infrastructure. Big loser: the pipes.
Windbag: Key takeaways from Wellington’s red wave local election
The Spinoff — October 13, 2025Andrew Little won the largest mayoral victory in 142 years, and Labour and the Greens grew their governing majority at the council table.
Wellington's new mayor Andrew Little says Tory Whanau faced 'toxic behaviour'
RNZ — October 12, 2025In a speech to supporters on Saturday night, Little said Whanau had shown courage during her time as mayor.
Andrew Little wins mayoralty bid in Wellington, Tory Whanau misses out on Māori Ward seat
RNZ — October 11, 2025The former Labour Party leader said he felt excited and "somewhat daunted" by the role.
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This database currently contains data from the 2025 local government eleciton, and general elections in 2023, 2020, 2017 and 2014. It is being backfilled with older data. Please get in touch if you want to help.