Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as Mākara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
The council represents a population of as of <!--Smaller than the greater Wellington population--> and consists of a mayor and fifteen councillors elected from six wards (Northern, Onslow-Western, Lambton, Eastern, Southern general wards and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward). It administers public works, sanitation, land use and building consents, among other local services. The council has used the marketing slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington" in an official capacity since the early 1990s.
Composition
Council
The mayor and all councillors are members of council.
Mayor
One mayor is elected at large from the entire Wellington City district.
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|frameless|133x133px|| Andrew Little || Labour|| 2025 ||Ex-officio member of all committees and subcommittees; Chair of Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
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Te Whanganui-a-Tara Māori ward
Te Whanganui a Tara is a Māori ward created by Wellington City Council in 2021. The 2022 election returned Nīkau Wi-Neera as its first-ever councillor. Wi-Neera retired from the seat at the 2025 election, and was replaced by Labour's Matthew Reweti.
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| frameless|133x133px|| Matthew Reweti || Labour || 2025 || Deputy Chair of Economic Growth and Development; member of Regulatory Processes Committee; member of Audit and Risk Committee
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Motukairangi/Eastern ward
Motukairangi/Eastern ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
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|132x132px|| Karl Tiefenbacher || Independent || 2025 || Chair of Economic Growth and Development; member of Regulatory Processes Committee; member of Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
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| 133x133px|| Sam O'Brien || Labour || 2025 || Deputy Chair of Council Planning and Finance; member of Revenue and Financial Value Review
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|133x133px|| Jonny Osborne || Green || 2025 || Member of CCO Review and Appointments; member of Grants Subcommittee; member of Audit and Risk Committee
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Pukehīnau/Lambton ward
Pukehīnau/Lambton ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
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|133x133px|| Geordie Rogers || Greens || 2024 || Chair of Regulatory Processes Committee
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|133x133px|| Afnan Al-Rubayee || Labour || 2025 || Deputy Chair of Social, Cultural and Environment; member of CCO Review and Appointments; Deputy Chair of Grants Subcommittee
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|132x132px|| Nicola Young|| Independent || 2013 || Member of Economic Growth and Development; Chair of Grants Subcommittee
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Takapū/Northern ward
Takapū/Northern ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
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|132x132px|| Ben McNulty|| Labour || 2022 || Deputy mayor; Chair of Revenue and Financial Value Review; member of Economic Growth and Development; Deputy Chair of Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
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|133x133px|| Tony Randle || Independent || 2022 ||Member of Revenue and Financial Value Review; Deputy Chair of CCO Review and Appointments
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| 133x133px|| Andrea Compton || Independent || 2025 || Deputy Chair of City Strategy and Delivery; member of Revenue and Financial Value Review; member of CCO Review and Appointments; member of Grants Subcommittee
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Wharangi/Onslow-Western ward
Wharangi/Onslow-Western ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
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|133x133px|| Diane Calvert || Independent || 2016 || Chair of Council Planning and Finance; member of Economic Growth and Development; member of Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
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|133x133px|| Rebecca Matthews || Green || 2019 || Deputy Chair of Revenue and Financial Value Review; member of Regulatory Processes Committee; Deputy Chair of Audit and Risk Committee
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|133x133px|| Ray Chung || Independent Together || 2022 || Member of Revenue and Financial Value Review; Chair of CCO Review and Appointments; member of Grants Subcommittee; member of Audit and Risk Committee
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Paekawakawa/Southern ward
Paekawakawa/Southern ward is the only ward that returns two councillors to the Wellington City Council (all others returning one or three). Since 2025 the councillors are:
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|132x132px|| Nureddin Abdurahman || Labour || 2022 || Chair of City Strategy and Delivery; member of Grants Subcommittee; member of Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
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|132x132px|| Laurie Foon || Greens || 2019 || Chair of Social, Cultural and Environment; member of Economic Growth and Development; member of Regulatory Processes Committee
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Pouiwi
Two pouiwi (tribal representatives) were appointed in 2023 by the Council's Tākai Here partners, Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika and Ngāti Toa Rangatira. They have voting rights on Council committees, including committees of the whole, but not on the full Council. Since 2023 the pouiwi are:
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|Holden Hohaia
|Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika
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- Member, Kōrau Tōtōpū | Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee
- Member, Pītau Pūmanawa | Grants Subcommittee
- Member, Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee
- Member, Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee
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|132x132px
|Liz Kelly
|Ngāti Toa Rangatira
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- Member, Kōrau Tōtōpū | Long-term Plan, Finance, and Performance Committee
- Member, Koata Hātepe | Regulatory Processes Committee
- Member, Kōrau Tūāpapa | Environment and Infrastructure Committee
- Member, Kōrau Mātinitini | Social, Cultural, and Economic Committee
- Member, Unaunahi Māhirahira | Audit and Risk Committee
|}
Committees
Following a review in 2021 by former Local Government New Zealand chief executive Peter Winder, the council adopted a new committee structure. All committees apart from Te Kaunihera o Pōneke Council and Unaunahi Ngaio Chief Executive Performance Review Committee include two mana whenua representatives (pouiwi), who are paid and have voting rights.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Committees and subcommittees of the Wellington City Council
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! Committee !! Chair !! Deputy Chair !! Membership
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| Te Kaunihera o Pōneke || Mayor Andrew Little || Deputy Mayor Ben McNulty || All councillors
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| Council Planning and Finance || Cr Diane Calvert || Cr Sam O’Brien ||
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| City Strategy and Delivery || Cr Nureddin Abdurahman || Cr Andrea Compton ||
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| Social, Cultural and Environment || Cr Laurie Foon || Cr Afnan Al-Rubayee ||
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| Revenue and Financial Value Review || Deputy Mayor Ben McNulty || Cr Rebecca Matthews || Mayor Andrew Little, Cr Ray Chung, Cr Andrea Compton, Cr Sam O’Brien, Cr Tony Randle, Pouiwi representative
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| Economic Growth and Development || Cr Karl Tiefenbacher || Cr Matthew Reweti || Mayor Andrew Little, Deputy Mayor McNulty, Cr Calvert, Cr Laurie Foon, Cr Nicola Young, Pouiwi representative
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| CCO Review and Appointments || Cr Ray Chung|| Cr Tony Randle || Mayor Andrew Little, Cr Afnan Al-Rubayee, Cr Andrea Compton, Cr Jonny Osborne, Pouiwi representative
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| Grants Subcommittee || Cr Nicola Young || Cr Afnan Al-Rubayee || Mayor Andrew Little, Cr Nureddin Abdurahman, Cr Andrea Compton, Cr Jonny Osborne, Cr Ray Chung, Pouiwi representative
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|Regulatory Processes Committee
|Cr Geordie Rogers
|Cr Tony Randle
|Mayor Andrew Little, Cr Laurie Foon, Cr Sam O’Brien, Cr Rebecca Matthews, Cr Matthew Reweti, Cr Karl Tiefenbacher, Pouiwi representative
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|Chief Executive Performance Review Committee
|Mayor Andrew Little
|Deputy Mayor McNulty
|Cr Nureddin Abdurahman, Cr Diane Calvert, Cr Karl Tiefenbacher
|-
|Audit and Risk Committee
|Independent Chair
|Cr Rebecca Matthews
|Mayor Andrew Little, Cr Ray Chung, Cr Sam O’Brien, Cr Jonny Osborne, Cr Tony Randle, Cr Matthew Reweti, Pouiwi representative, independent Member
|}
Community boards
The council has created two local community boards under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, with members elected using a single transferable vote (STV) system or appointed by the council.
These are:
- Tawa Community Board, having six elected members and two appointed members, representing the northern suburbs of Tawa, Grenada North and Takapū Valley; and
- Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board, having six elected members, representing the rural suburbs of Ohariu, Mākara and Mākara Beach.
|-
! rowspan="2"| Community board
! colspan="3"| Elected members
! rowspan="2"| Council appointees
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! Chair
! Deputy chair
! Board members
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| Mākara/Ōhāriu Community Board
| Darren Hoskins
| Hamish Todd
| Chris Renner<br/>Wayne Rudd<br/>Robert O'Brien<br/>Brett Marley