Women Mayors from Australasia

Women Mayors reporting from Australasia

> Wellington female mayor steps down, citing abuse

> Female candidate for Mayor of Auckland, NZ

> Female-owned businesses flourish in Brisbane, Australia

Wellington, New Zealand, Mayor Tory Whanau said women contemplating a role in locl government should do so with their eyes open.

NEW ZEALAND / WELLINGTON

Wellington’s female Mayor decides not to run for a second term, citing online abuse

June 2025: Since 1992, Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, has had more women mayors than male leaders. But, after the current office holder decided not to seek a second term, the city’s next mayor is likely to be a man. So far, no woman has put her name forward for the mayoral election on 11 October this year. For Wellington, it would be a shift away from a city with more females in the top job than males, since Fran Wilde, in 1992, was the first woman elected. New Zealand’s The Post newspaper wrote that the last time the capital had no women running for mayor was in 1986, and before that, in 1971.

Towards the end of her three years in office, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has become the subject of frequent criticism and often unacceptable online abuse. Announcing her decision not to run for another three-year term, Mayor Whanau said the abuse she and other female politicians face is scaring women off public office. The mayor acknowledged that she had made decisions that deserved criticism, but in the end, the comments were not about her work as mayor but became deeply personal.

According to The Post, a study by disinformation researcher Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa examining the social media response to Whanau’s decision to step down as mayor found targeting defined by racism, misogyny and hate.

“It’s not just Whanau. Hattotuwa performed a similar analysis for Dame Jacinda Arden in the days leading up to the former prime minister’s book launch, and found an escalation in direct, graphic and varied threats, including a horrifying catalogue of specific methods for her killing.”

The mayor added that rhetoric and attention from the media and the New Zealand’s conservative government had sparked comments about her “intellect, expertise and appearance.”

When a reporter from The Post asked Mayor Whanau whether she would recommend the role to other women, she said she would, as long as they had their eyes wide open.

The mayor also mentioned a lack of security for local politicians. “When a Member of Parliament is threatened, the Parliamentary Service security will escort you almost immediately, whereas in local government, one kind of has to beg for it.”

Tory Whanau told The Post that it took multiple discussions to agree to have a security guard escort her so she could show her support at a trans-rights march during a time she was being threatened online.

Source: The Post, New Zealand

Further reading: In Asia, violence against women politicians is rising alarmingly | Fearing violence, women in Europe hesitate to embark on careers in politics

NEW ZEALAND / AUCKLAND

Female candidate for Mayor of Auckland to champion Māori and Pacific voices

February 2025: Kerrin Leoni, a first-time councillor and member of the New Zealand Labour Party, has confirmed that she will be running for Mayor of Auckland in October 2025. On her social media platforms, she wrote that no woman has governed Auckland since it became a Super City in 2010. She continued to say that the mayorship of Auckland was the second most important political job in New Zealand and that it should be governed with a new perspective. “That is why I believe it’s time for fresh leadership in Auckland. I am a strong wāhine Māori Irish Italian committed to seeing our city thrive for all Aucklanders.”

Recently Kerrin Leoni has become a vocal opponent of the so-called Treaty Principles Bill, a document supported by the right-wing ACT New Zealand party and aimed to newly define the Treaty of Waitangi, which in 1840 established the relationship between New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori population and the British settlers. Supporters of the document claim that the current principles have distorted the original intent of the treaty and created different rights for some New Zealanders, resulting in Māori having different political and legal rights and privileges compared with non-Māori.

In an interview with blogger Nick Rockel, Kerrin Leoni said she was standing as an independent, which she thought had some benefit in the country’s polarised political system. Kerrin talked about the need for a more liveable, sustainable city and the important things to people, such as transport, the cost of living, and feeling safe in their community. She said there had been a lot of focus on saving money, which is important, but that as the city goes into the future, we need to design the city so that people want to stay in Auckland and retain that talent. “I am especially focused on the need for a long-term infrastructure plan for the city that avoids flooding and other issues.”

Kerrin Leoni has a Masters Degree in Economics and International Politics from King's College in London. She also spent ten years in London running a consultancy. It is expected that Auckland’s current Mayor, Wayne Brown, will be seeking a second term and that Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson may also run for mayor in October 2025.

AUSTRALIA

Brisbane helps female business owners to expand and flourish

September 2024: The Australian City of Brisbane (Queensland), which describes itself as the most small-business-friendly city in Australia, has set aside AUS$250,000 to help women-led businesses expand. The 2024 Lord Mayor’s Women in Business Grants programme offers businesswomen up to $5,000 to help fund training, equipment and services to boost their business performance. Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner explained that more than a third of all Brisbane businesses are led by women. “We want to help that number grow. The city’s Women in Business Grant programme is about giving businesses led by women the tools they need to start, run and grow.”

According to Australia’s Office of the Small Business Ombudsman, women-owned, women-led enterprises are increasing faster than male-owned businesses. Research conducted in 2023 found the economic opportunity for Australia by boosting the number of female entrepreneurs to parity with men would be worth between $71 billion and $135 billion to the nation’s economy.

Brisbane’s Deputy Mayor Krista Adams detailed that businesswomen have been telling her that the city’s programme is making it easier for women to do business in Brisbane. “We’re proud to support and empower Brisbane businesswomen who are driving the growth of Brisbane’s economy, creating jobs and making a big impact.

Beyond financial support, all recipients benefit from a 12-month development programme delivered by the Brisbane Business Hub and supported by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to boost business connections and leadership skills.

Barbara Spooner, who received a grant in 2021, invested in new machinery to increase production capacity for her cycling apparel business ‘Birds on Bikes’. The support has contributed to the opening of her first workshop in Brisbane, as well as securing a wholesale distribution deal across Australia and New Zealand.

“Loneliness is one of the big challenges for female founders,” she said. “Being recognised with the grant three years ago gave me more confidence in my ability. “The money is nice, but the community of other grant recipients I have met has helped me realise I’m not the only one coming up against challenges and issues.

Source: Inside Local Government

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