I note that Wellington NewstalkZB host Nick Mills, who has himself declared an interest in running, gave Little a glowing endorsement on his talkback show this morning. Mills has a big audience and Little will doubtless be encouraged by his approval.
If Little goes ahead, and if he wins, he will join a long and growing list of former central government heavyweights who have made the transition to local politics. Auckland’s former mayors include ex-ministers Christine Fletcher (not a heavyweight, exactly, but she did hold ministerial portfolios), John Banks and Phil Goff. Former minister Fran Wilde served one term as Wellington mayor, later became chair of Greater Wellington Regional Council, and this year will contest the mayoralty of South Wairarapa, where she now lives. In Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel won the mayoralty after stepping down as a minister in 2004 and served three terms in the top job.
Nelson has had two mayors who were formerly MPs: Philip Woollaston and the incumbent, former National cabinet minister Nick Smith. Other former MPs turned mayors included John Carter (Far North), Harry Duynhoven (New Plymouth), Jill White (Palmerston North), Sandra Goudie (Thames-Coromandel) and more recently Ron Mark (Carterton). There may be others I’ve missed; this doesn’t pretend to be an exhaustive list.
There was occasional traffic in the other direction too. Hamilton mayor Mike Minogue became a National MP (and a constant irritant to party leader Robert Muldoon), as did Mark Blumsky in Wellington. Another former Hamilton mayor, Bruce Beetham, served for six years as the Social Credit MP for Rangitikei, while Georgina Beyer jumped from the mayoralty of Carterton to a seat in Parliament as the MP for Wairarapa. Later came Jono Naylor, ex-mayor of Palmerston North, and Lawrence Yule from Hastings, both of whom served one term as National MPs. Green MP Celia Wade-Brown is another who rode into the House of Representatives on the back of a mayoralty, albeit a wholly undistinguished one.
Cynics hearing the news about Little are likely to nod their heads knowingly and mutter about politicians being addicted to the dopamine hit of politics and being unable to stay away. A mayoralty might have special appeal for such people because it’s seen as conferring individual power and control in a way that a cabinet seat might not. But there’s something to be said for seasoned politicians turning their skills and savvy to local government, especially when a city is in such a stricken plight as Wellington.
There was occasional traffic in the other direction too. Hamilton mayor Mike Minogue became a National MP (and a constant irritant to party leader Robert Muldoon), as did Mark Blumsky in Wellington. Another former Hamilton mayor, Bruce Beetham, served for six years as the Social Credit MP for Rangitikei, while Georgina Beyer jumped from the mayoralty of Carterton to a seat in Parliament as the MP for Wairarapa. Later came Jono Naylor, ex-mayor of Palmerston North, and Lawrence Yule from Hastings, both of whom served one term as National MPs. Green MP Celia Wade-Brown is another who rode into the House of Representatives on the back of a mayoralty, albeit a wholly undistinguished one.
Cynics hearing the news about Little are likely to nod their heads knowingly and mutter about politicians being addicted to the dopamine hit of politics and being unable to stay away. A mayoralty might have special appeal for such people because it’s seen as conferring individual power and control in a way that a cabinet seat might not. But there’s something to be said for seasoned politicians turning their skills and savvy to local government, especially when a city is in such a stricken plight as Wellington.
This post has been amended with additional information since it was first published. Thanks to my research assistant Mark Unsworth.
Correction: Eamon Sloan, a regular follower of this blog, tells me the Andrew Little story was on the Post's front page. The statement in my original post that the Herald broke the news therefore appears to have been wrong. I apologise for the error and have deleted the reference. I partially absolve myself because I could find no mention of the story on the Post's website.
12 comments:
Minor correction for Karl. The Andrew Little story was photo headlined on the front page of yesterday’s Post (9th April). Ashamed to admit sometimes that I am a Post reader. Mayoralties are where clapped out Parliamentarians go to die. Today’s Post headlines the Lower Hutt mayor, Campbell Barry – retiring but not going to Parliament.
Karl, as a traditional Labour voter and Wellington resident, I will state the combination of Labour and the Green’s woeful participation in Wellington’s local government has been a disaster for all.
Forget Little - his use by date was long ago. A genuine candidate for Wellington’s mayor is Ray Chung.
Tory Whanau - "the Wahine Disaster"
As for Celia wade brown, I believe that she did not ride into parliament on the back of her unspectacular Wellington mayorship but as a pathetically low-ranked greens list replacement for the shop soiled golriz gharaman, having been soundly rejected by Wairarapa electorate voters in the 2023 elections. Little’s uninspiring record as labour leader and in his various senior ministerial roles in the Ardern cabinet portends a poor outcome for Wellington if he does win a mayorship race in which a single cell organism should easily despatch the incumbent.
From memory Angry Andy has never been successtul in an electorate and I recall his own mother advising against voting for him. We need successful people to bring their ability to Council, not coat-tailers such as Little or many of the rest.
Until real power is invested in the elected officials and not left with CEOs democracy is pretty much dead in my opinion.
I can’t say that he fills me with enthusiasm. He achieved little as a union leader or as a politician. He is just another high spender sucking on the public teat. If the voters of Wellington think he is an improvement on Tory Whanau, then God help Wellington.
How Jeremy Clarkson might view the incumbent Wellington mayor:
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*Cue gravelly voice, raised eyebrows, and a camera pan over Wellington Harbor as a gust of wind nearly topples a pedestrian.*
“Now, here’s a thing. Imagine, if you will, being handed the keys to a city that’s essentially a 1992 Reliant Robin—quirky, prone to tipping over in a stiff breeze, and held together by duct tape and the sheer force of caffeine. That, my friends, is the glorious shambles Tory Whanau inherited when she became mayor of Wellington.
You’ve got a capital where the water pipes burst more often than a contestant on *Bake Off* after a Brandy Snap challenge. The buses? They’re about as reliable as a chocolate teapot, and the housing crisis is so dire locals are considering renting out their garden sheds as ‘artisanal tiny homes’ for $800 a week.
But Tory, bless her, strides in like she’s just spotted a Prius in a cycle lane. Green Party to the core, she’s all about banning cars, planting enough trees to reforest Narnia, and turning every street into a Lycra-clad utopia for cyclists. *‘But Jeremy,’* I hear you cry, *‘what about the people who don’t want to pedal uphill in a hailstorm for a flat white?’* Exactly.
Then there’s the Town Hall—a renovation project that’s cost more than a SpaceX launch and taken longer than the *Lord of the Rings* trilogy. Meanwhile, the city’s heritage buffs and developers are at each other’s throats like seagulls fighting over a chip.
And yet! Against all odds, Wellingtonians remain chipper, fueled by coffee so strong it could restart a dead V8. Tory’s challenge? Navigating this woke brigade speed trap while the rest of us wonder if she’ll end up a visionary or a cautionary tale.
In the end, it’s a bit like watching someone try to drift a Nissan Leaf through the Coromandel Peninsula. Mad? Possibly. But you’ve got to admire the optimism. *‘How hard can it be?’*
*Cut to Clarkson grinning over a steaming cup of espresso, wind howling in the background.*
“Good luck, Tory. You’ll need it. And Wellington? Keep the coffee hot—you’re going to need it too.”
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*[Cue outro music and a shot of a cyclist dramatically swerving around a pothole.]*
Too Little too late.
Thanks, anonymous, for Jeremy Clarkson's "take" on Wellington. Reliant Robin? This city has its quirks, but I'd hope it's seen as a bit less naff than that...
"....an uninspiring field...."
Ray Chung is our local ward councillor. He's very far from being uninspiring, and, in his bid for the mayoralty, he has considerable support. I voted for him at the 2022 election. He wasn't successful then, but he's since had a term in Council, which is indubitably the best preparation for the office of Mayor of Wellington. He's a straight talker and shooter: what we need here.
Many of us have had it with the incumbent. Being suspicious of her motivations, her Green connections and her lack of experience, I didn't vote for her in the 2022 election. My concerns turned out to be well-founded. She's been an unmitigated disaster.
To rephrase that old saying: if Andrew Little is the answer, his supporters are asking the wrong question. We need Angry Andy here like we need toothache. I certainly wouldn't vote for him and I hope most sincerely that, if he does stand, he's defeated.
clapping emoji...
For Hilary Taylor. You commented “clapping emoji”. Is that a slow clapping emoji ?
If Marina Hyde were moonlighting as a Wellington busker with a knack for satire, she might write:
If there’s one thing more reliably Wellington than a southerly gale or a council meeting descending into factional chaos, it’s the spectacle of a national political castoff attempting a Lazarus act in local government. Enter Andrew Little: former Labour leader, serial resigner, and now aspiring mayor—a man whose career trajectory resembles a bungee jump without the rebound.
Little, affectionately dubbed “Angry Andy” during his union days, now peddles himself as the antidote to Wellington’s “chaos.” This from the man who, as Health Minister, presided over a seismic health restructuring so disruptive it could double as a plotline in *The Thick of It*. His solution for Wellington’s infrastructure woes? “Rephase” projects such as the Golden Mile—a euphemism for “delay until everyone forgets.” One might call it strategic procrastination; others, a rerun of his ministerial habit of kicking crises down the road.
Little’s defining political moment wasn’t a policy triumph but a tactical retreat. He stepped aside in 2017 to let Jacinda Ardern “save” Labour—a move less noble than inevitable, given his polling numbers resembled a Wellington property’s dampness rating.
Now, he touts “experience” as his selling point. Ah, yes: the experience of leading a party to such lows that even Winston Peters—a man who’d endorse a lamp post if it promised him relevance—praises him as “sane and rational”. Damning with faint praise, indeed.
As Health Minister, Little dismantled 20 district health boards, replacing them with two entities that now face their own crises. Wellington’s crumbling pipes and hospital overcrowding suggest his knack for structural shake-ups might not translate to functional outcomes. But fear not! He’s promised to “invest in parks and pools”—a pledge that rings hollow when his track record implies these facilities will be “rephased” into oblivion.
Little insists he’ll “work across political lines,” yet he’s seeking Labour’s endorsement in a race already toxified by party allegiances.
Little’s promise to “stand up to the Beehive” is laughable from a man whose entire career has been defined by loyalty to Labour’s machine.
Little’s campaign hinges on “urgent change,” but his vision is reheated Labour boilerplate: cheaper transport (funded how?), housing development (on Wellington’s… *checks topography* cliffs?), and “honouring the Treaty” (a noble aim, but hardly a policy).
Little’s bid feels less like a plan and more like a midlife crisis—a desire to matter again after national politics spat him out.
Wellington Deserves Better Than a Retread
Wellingtonians are a resilient bunch, enduring everything from earthquakes to council consultations on whether to consult about consultations. But must they endure a mayor whose chief qualification is having failed upwards? Little’s candidacy is a reminder that in politics, as in reality TV, past contestants always lurk in the wings, hoping for a comeback tour. Wellington doesn’t need a has-been with a PowerPoint full of buzzwords. It needs leaders who’ll fix the basics—not ones who’ll “rephase” them into oblivion while dusting off their LinkedIn endorsements. As the Guardian’s Marina Hyde might say: Next!
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