Podcast appearances and mentions of tory whanau

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! New data shows more young Kiwis are having issues finding work. Do we have any inspirational messages for young people looking for jobs? How can they get ahead? Is the UN interfering with NZ's sovereignty? Ray Chung has since apologised for his infamous email to Tory Whanau - but the council's Crown observer is raising issues with the Minister and the council's CEO is looking to investigate a possible code of conduct breach? What do we make of this? Donald Trump is now mulling increasing the baseline tariff for everyone from 10 percent to 15-20 percent. Should we try to make the best of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday afternoon, when I heard that Ray Chung, Mayoral candidate for Wellington, was going to appear with Ryan Bridge on Newstalk ZB's Drive to discuss the gossipy email he sent regarding Tory Whanau, I thought good on him for fronting. 7 minutes and 20 seconds later, I was as speechless as Ryan Bridge. What a bumbling, embarrassing trainwreck of an interview. First there was the comment it had been a hard couple of days for Ray Chung since the email was publicly released. Well, yes, when you're running in a local body election and caught spreading salacious gossip it can make for a tough day. But considering Mr Chung had been on the phone since 4am on Friday, and spent the day talking to media about the fiasco, you'd expect him to have crafted a tight message by 5pm. I expected him to apologise for spreading gossip, clarify what happened, accept responsibility. You known, to demonstrate some, well, leadership potential. Some mayoral potential. I'm a big advocate for voting in local body elections. I want to have a say in who runs my city. I know it's not the cool thing to do and most people can't be bothered. But I love and appreciate everything my city has to offer and I want it to be a great and affordable place to live. But to get people to vote we need candidates who are articulate, smart, and decisive leaders. We need people who understand the political environment, can work with others, and know how to get things done. Back in 2022, Wellington City councilor Iona Pannett despaired at how toxic and negative the campaigning was in the local body elections. More recently Tory Whanau has called politics an “ugly place”. Some of the issues highlighted by Crown observer of Wellington City Council, Lindsay McKenzie, are that it's an overwhelmed council, there is public criticism by elected members, and dysfunctional relationships. If there was ever a time Wellington needed a candidate who can convince constituents they can as mayor bring this council together and make it function, then it's now. And yet, here we are. Ten days after candidate nominations opened for local body elections and the dirty politics has kicked off. Did Ray Chung write that email out of genuine concern for his Mayor? Probably not. Has the email's release being timed to hurt Ray Chung's campaign.Probably yes. So, no one looks particulargreat do they? Wellington deserves better. This isn't a big enough faux pas for Chung to take himself out of the race. But if he's going to continue, can I suggest he takes a simpler approach to dealing with issues. When the receipt (as the kids say these days) is there for all to see, apologise and take accountability. You don't need to over explain, and if you're ever asked whether you've had an orgy - just say no.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Embattled Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung is refusing to pull out of the race, despite being ditched by a major financial backer. It comes after the Herald revealed Chung sent emails detailing an unsavoury sexual rumour about Mayor Tory Whanau – rumours she's categorically denied. The scandal has led to high-profile Wellington philanthropist Sir Mark Dunajtschik withdrawing his support for Chung's campaign. Despite this, Chung told Ryan Bridge empathically he's not backing out of the race, saying that's absolutely not his plan. He's also accusing one of the three colleagues he sent the email to of leaking it to Whanau. He says he can't say for sure who it was... but says he could have a guess. Chung would not, however say which of the three he was accusing of the leak. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wellington Mayoral race was supposed to be winding down into boring town. Tory went wild, had a tipsy whirlwind on Courtenay Place. A bit of booze, a bit of dine and dashing. It was salacious, it was scandalous. As stories of late-night escapades and unpaid bills and missed council meetings flooded the newspapers, the streets flooded, literally. Every time a scandal burst onto the front page of The Post, so did a pipe. It was as if Wellington's infrastructure were protesting the incompetence at City Hall. Poonamis. An onslaught of cycleways. Crime. And still no second Mount Victoria tunnel. It all came to a head, of course. Andrew Little entered the chat. Tory pulls out. And from here it was meant to get boring. You know in an action movie when all the crazy stuff happens, there's half an hour left on the clock, but the world's been saved by superhero XYZ? All the main cast is safe and well and life goes on happily ever after? That's where I thought we were with Wellington's Mayoral Race. Well, Wellington, you're getting a sequel – within the original. Mayoral candidate Ray Chung sent his colleagues an email, regaling them with a story a friend told him while he was out walking his dog. In it, he says, Tory Whanau had drug-fuelled tempestuous sex with a bunch of young guys. He also claims he was told that she had pendulous soft breasts. It's starting to smell a little bit like Ontario in Canada. Remember the mayor who was accused of smoking crack? Just scandal through a local election campaign. To get real for a minute, two things. One: Tory denies the story completely and utterly rejects it. Two: Ray sent this to three fellow councillors on their personal email addresses. So, it was a private email, he claims. And Ray reckons that one of those people has leaked it to Tory, who has leaked it to the press. So then you start to wonder, is one of Ray's former fellow council mates now turning on him, perhaps for political reasons? I don't know the answer to that question. All I really know is that Wellington, you need some popcorn because you're in for one hell of a tempestuous election campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 11th July 2025, the mayoral campaign for Wellington councillor Ray Chung appears to be in tatters after a sex gossip email he sent about Tory Whanau was made public. Chung told Ryan Bridge he stands by the email, and makes a jaw-dropping admission. Deborah Hart, the chair of the Holocaust Centre, is warning that antisemitism has moved from the fringes to the mainstream in New Zealand, and we need a strategy to fight it. Why is the Victoria University student association telling graduates to go to Australia rather than find a job here? Ryan talks to the woman in charge of hiring 500 new staff members for New Zealand's first Ikea store. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington mayoral candidate Ray Chung sent a sordid email to some council colleagues in 2023, claiming mayor Tory Whanau had drug-fuelled “tempestuous sex” in an orgy, and making reference to her having “pendulous soft breasts”. The email has only surfaced today - but does it rule Ray Chung out as a serious mayoral contender? Also, the All Blacks take on France in the second test at Sky Stadium tomorrow night. How important are these events for the city, and what can we expect from both teams? To answer those questions, former Wellington mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast and current Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy joined Nick Mills on Friday Faceoff, live from the Champions Lunch at Takina. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Chung has surely scuppered his chances of becoming Wellington's next mayor, hasn't he? Although, given the way voters in Wellington tend to cast their ballots given their previous form, perhaps not. Chung has sent an email to three of his fellow councillors with the heading ‘A sordid night on the town”, in which he proceeded to pass on a story he heard from a neighbour while out dog walking, trash talking Mayor Tory Whanau. It accused her of participating in an orgy with a couple of young men and taking drugs, and talked about the form of the woman involved, being Tory Whanau, having soft, pendulous breasts. Whanau released the email to the New Zealand Herald as an example of the dehumanising personal attacks she's experienced during her term as Wellington mayor and part of the reason she's not running for the mayoralty again. She said this sort of behaviour (the sending of gossip to fellow councillors), is unbecoming for a public official, it's creepy, it's gross. If he's going to stay in the mayoral race, he needs to commit to a clean campaign. Whanau, who wants to be elected as a councillor but not mayor this election, provided the email to the Herald saying she wanted voters to see evidence of the abuse she and other female politicians endured. This is the thing that stuns me: when questioned about the email, Chung said he had no idea if the contents were true. Absolutely none. He did no fact checking, he just found it interesting, thought his fellow councillors would agree. When pressed maybe three times, he thought perhaps he'd say sorry if it wasn't true, but didn't really see anything wrong with what he'd done. He said I passed on exactly what I was told, I'd call it gossip. And I suppose using the internet is just the modern form of whispering in someone's ear at the village fair. Now the best form of gossip and lying is to feed a story with a grain of truth. Whanau has form in drunken carrying on, it's not a huge leap the way it would be with a teetotalley, happily married young female mayor. Whanau says she can prove she wasn't at this supposed orgy which Chung says took place on New Year's Eve. She was at a function for ambassadors in the city and then went on to a rainbow community party on New Year's Eve. She says she can show that the story is malicious gossip. The scary thing about this is that people think they can say anything about anybody these days and get away with it. For all the faults of the mainstream media, we are accountable for the things we say and write. So if we get it wrong, we are censored. The records corrected and you know about it. We can certainly have opinions you disagree with, that's different, but if we had come out with a story like that, we could be sued for defamation. And in the past this radio station has been Most radio stations have been, because people take it one step too far, repeat something they've heard because they think it might be interesting. Wrong. It's false. It can be proved to be false, and they're censored, and they have to pay a fine, and they have to apologise and correct the record. I'd love to see how much faith people put in alternative media stories and sources, if they were held to the same level of accountability that we are. The internet is amazing, but it has always been an absolute cesspit of misinformation and lies as well. You know for a fact that the story about Clarke Gayford and the nanny, Clarke Gayford and the Whangarei court appearance, Peter Davis, John Key, Tory Whanau, all of these public figures, you know, for a fact that it's true because your neighbour's niece went to school with the nanny, or your wife's brother's best friend was in the police force in Kerikeri, used to be and he knows for a fact that the court registrar... It's utter bullshit. Complete and utter BS, but you want to believe it. It feeds into how you perceive these people and what you want to believe about these people, whoever they may be. There's a grain of truth to it. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that it could have happened. And again, that's what makes it all so dangerous. I just don't believe anything until I am stepping over the writhing forms of the people allegedly involved and trying not to stand on their pendulous soft breasts. I can't just put up a story because I think you might find it interesting, and I think you'll agree with the story, you'll agree with the narrative. You say where's your proof? Where's your evidence? And if I can't provide it, you can sue me for defamation. And that's a jolly good thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau joins us to talk about David Seymour's online behaviour and how it contravenes the Cabinet Manual.Robert Patman joins us LIVE to talk about the attacks in the Middle East by both Iran and Israel and the role Donald Trump and the US played in itChloe Swarbrick joined Bomber on the Bradbury Group talking Iran and the goings on in the Middle East=================================Come support the work we're doing by becoming a Patron of ⁠⁠#BHN⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/BigHairyNews⁠=================================Merch available at www.BHNShop.nz Like us on Facebookwww.facebook.com/BigHairyNews Follow us on Twitter.@patbrittenden @Chewie_NZFollow us on BlueskyPat @patbrittenden.bsky.socialChewie @chewienz.bsky.socialEmily @iamprettyawesome.bsky.socialMagenta @xkaosmagex.bsky.social

It was round two of a war of words between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Wellington mayor Tory Whanau this week – the PM criticised the council heavily appearing on Wellington Mornings. and Tory hit back by saying Luxon should focus on his own "chaotic coalition". Is this the behaviour we expect from either of these leaders? Also, there are potentially hundreds of kids in New Zealand born to overstaying parents who are in hiding. In one case, a 19-year-old born in NZ to overstaying Indian parents has never had an education, hasn't seen a doctor since he was 10 and has been in hiding for nearly two decades - all because he was born here out of his control. Do we need to consider bringing back birthright citizenship? To answer those questions, Nick was joined by broadcaster Mark Sainsbury and Iron Duke Partners director Phil O'Reilly. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's brushing off criticism from Wellington's mayor. Speaking to Newstalk ZB today, the PM hit out at the city's cycleway rollout and water management - saying other cities are moving forward. Tory Whanau says Luxon should focus on coalition issues and the problematic Government's school lunch roll out, not punching down on the capital. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpacked Tory Whanau's response. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's potential next Mayor is making headlines for dishing out suggestions to the current mayor. Andrew Little called on Tory Whanau to not sign any more contracts in the Golden Mile redevelopment – calling it unethical to do so before a new Mayor is elected in October. In a statement to Newstalk ZB, Whanau said candidates “do not have the mandate to demand that our Council cease progress on any democratically agreed-upon projects” Wellington Mayoral candidate Andrew Little talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Little is being seen by many as the frontrunner to be Wellington's new mayor after Tory Whanau announced she was bowing out. But there are five others who've got their eyes on their mayoral chain. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James has been talking to them.

Bad news this morning for any productive, hard-working, and busy members of our society. The climate protesters who brought Wellington to a standstill - rush hour traffic to a stand still - will be back at it again soon. Mark my words. You'll see more idiots gluing themselves to motorways, abseiling down Mt Victoria, hanging signs from gantries, roads closed, police resources distracted from important stuff, and chaos to start your day. Why? The Crown has walked away from, abandoned, the prosecution of more than 20 defendants facing charges over protests in Wellington. These guys are off on their merry way. They're from the Restore Passenger Rail group. Some were awaiting re-trial after juries couldn't come to a verdict on whether they endangered transport. Anyway there's a lot of hands that should be in cuffs that will soon be covered in glue again. How do we know this? They told us. One of the nutters said he hopes the Crown decision sets a precedent and that protesters won't be prosecuted for future climate change activism. We had numpties sleeping in coal cart trying to shut down the Stockton mine on the West Coast over Easter. Dangerous stuff. Expensive stuff. I remember a woman stuck in traffic on SH1 missing her chemo appointment at hospital. Their point is emissions are bad for the climate, but tens of thousands of cars sitting idle stuck in traffic while some climate hero gets his five seconds of TikTok fame abseiling onto our state highways would surely, if anything, make those emissions worse. Also, did you know they hire gas-guzzling diesel vans to ferry them to and from their stunts? Hypocritical losers, even Tory Whanau said they were dumb. These people are not about climate solutions. They're about themselves. I'm all for constructive discussion on how our small country can play it's part. But every time I see an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam caused by unnecessary attention seekers, it makes me want to let the planet burn just to spite them. Sadly, the rest of us can all look forward to dealing with much more of this in the months and years ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has announced she will not stand again for the Wellington mayoralty. Her announcement came shortly after former Labour Party Leader Andrew Little confirmed he would be contesting. 

At the end of every week, the Afternoons team name their pick for New Zealander of the week. It's an honour that we grant on your behalf to someone who has had effect on our great and beautiful nation over the past week. This week's nominees are Tory Whanau, the RUNIT Championship League, and the kākāpō. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has announced she isn't seeking another term as Mayor and instead will run for the city's Maori ward council seat. What's her legacy as mayor, and has she made the right call? Also, Act leader David Seymour says there are too many ministerial portfolios and government departments in New Zealand. Is he right, and what should we slash? To answer those questions, former Wellington mayor and DotLovesData director Justin Lester and Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young joined Nick Mills for Friday Faceoff. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Tory Whanau: 9/10 She scored it herself and why wouldn't you, shouldn't you, when you are as brilliant as her? God, she deserves a holiday. Donald Trump: 7/10 For the sheer madness, calamity and unbelievable amount of bullshit he has spouted in 100 days. You will never see the likes again, unless of course he runs for a third and fourth term. Auckland FC: 8/10 You can't argue with that execution of success. Have a dream, get a team and win the competition. That's brilliant! Canada: 7/10 Election of the year so far and will almost certainly beat tomorrow's in Australia, unless Dutton does a Morrison. And I'm not running odds on that. Toyota: 7/10 The All Blacks deal is a nice fit. How good will Tamaiti Williams look in a Yaris? James Meager: 3/10 For saying random stuff like he's looking into helping Air New Zealand into the regions and getting fares down. He's also looking to get butter under $4 a block. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City will have a new mayor by the end of this year. After previously committing to run for a second term, mayor Tory Whanau has pulled out of the race. It comes after her term was dominated by personal incidents and infighting between councillors – but she made her decision only a day after work finally started on the Golden Mile project. A number of men are running to take over the mayoral reins – with former Labour Minister Andrew Little just the latest to enter the competition. But whoever takes on the city’s top job will need to deal with rising rates, declining house prices, and ongoing ferry issues. Today on The Front Page, NZME Wellington reporter Ethan Manera joins us to discuss what Whanau’s departure means for our Capital in crisis. Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network. Host: Chelsea DanielsSound Engineer/Producer: Richard MartinProducer: Ethan SillsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has bowed out of the Wellington mayoral race but won't rule out running for the capital's top job in 2028. Ms Whanau, who's had a turbulent time as mayor, said she will instead be running to be a councillor for the Maori ward. It comes after former Labour Party heavyweight Andrew Little threw his hat in the ring for the city's top job. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James reports.

In her seemingly never-ending ability to surprise, Tory Whanau fronts on the local Newstalk ZB morning show in her beleaguered capital yesterday and scores herself a 9/10. If she had come from comedy I could have seen the joke she was making. But she doesn't come from comedy, which is not to say her reign hasn't been comedic. She is the Meghan Markle of local body politics - so self-absorbed and she doesn't appear cognisant as to just how destructive and useless she is. I wasn't going to even comment on Whanau given it's a local issue, she has announced she's off, and the sooner the Whanau era of terror ends the better. But fly in the ointment: she is still standing for a seat and bringing potentially all her 9/10 madness with her. Now the guard rails on this part of her future are of course in the hands of the public of the capital. You don't have to have more of it. You can in fact vote for someone else. As such she is free to take her record, put it in front of you and test it. But it takes a special sort of narcissist to think of herself so highly, having just been bundled out of the big race because she knows she can't win. If she is a 9/10, she should be bolting home. But that's the problem with narcissists, isn't it? They continue to bluster even when they know the game is up. She is also a wider problem by remaining as part of the wider picture. She puts people off. Local body politics is crying out for decent, hardworking, competent contributors, but who in their right mind is interested in sitting round a table with buffoons? A bunch of do-gooding lifers, who as often as not, are not actually able to get work in the normal world. Not all of Wellington's many, many problems are on Tory. But she led the team that wrought the havoc and the stuff she inherited, she didn't help. Her advice to poor, old Nick Mills, who had to listen to this tripe, was every time you see a road cone, you see progress. It's that sort of fairytale, fanciful nonsense most of us realise isn't remotely true. Maybe that's her ultimate problem. Maybe she lives in her head In her head Wellington is a riviera and Tory is the queen of that riviera. The pipes didn't burst, the city boomed, and Tory oversaw a renaissance. Maybe that's how all narcissists delude themselves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrea Vance joins Nights to discuss Tory Whanau's mayoralty and the challenges that face Wellington City in the upcoming local council elections.

Tory Whanau has bowed out of the Wellington Mayoralty race, saying she now wants to run for the Greens in the Māori ward as a councilor only. This is an attempt at saving face - I doubt many will fall for it. Website: https://www.rova.nz/home/podcasts/duncan-garner---editor-in-chiefInstagram: @DuncanGarnerpodcast TikTok: @DuncanGarnerpodcast

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Wellingtonians have one less candidate to choose from as current Mayor Tory Whanau bows out of the race. She has instead endorsed Labour's Andrew Little for the position. Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung is running against Andrew Little, and he talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the race and whether Whanau will now be Andrew Little's deputy. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's plan to reduce the operating allowance from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion is the smallest amount of new spending in a decade. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has decided to make departments metabolise their own spending in order to get books back into surplus. New Zealand Herald Political Editor Thomas Coughlan talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the ‘big' decision, KiwiSaver subsidies and Tory Whanau dropping out of the Wellington race. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) It's a Wonderful Place/Mark the MPs/Deliberately Mispronounciating/Return of the Inquiry/Not Livable Enough for MeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau should be saluted for putting Wellington first and saving a no-doubt divisive and energy-sapping scrap for the mayoral race with Andrew Little, says TFN host Paddy Gower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OPINION Tory Whanau has said no. She's said no to standing for Wellington mayor for the three terms she always said she'd run for. She's out; she's thrown in the towel. We won't get the exciting election campaign of Tory Whanau v Andrew Little, which I must say I was looking forward to. And I'll be honest; I wanted her to run. I wanted to know if Wellington as a city really believes in the green idealisms she promotes. This election was going to tell me whether it was a flash in the pan or whether it was real. But Tory has pulled out. What I can't quite work out is why this was announced on the same day that she stood on Courtenay Place with her brand new Bunnings shovel, digging up the ground to celebrate the start of the Golden Mile redevelopment works. Clearly, the hole she dug was simply too big. She couldn't climb out of it. Tory says her decision not to run is a better outcome for everybody involved. She now wants to run for the Māori ward on council. She also told the Herald this morning she'd like to be a government Minister one day. You can make your own mind up on that one. Now there have been rumours around Tory pulling out for a while now. Firstly, the rumour was she was going to pull out to let Justin Lester have a crack. Then Andrew Little stepped out of the shadows, and the rest is history. So now all we can do is reflect on her legacy. And what a legacy it is. Tory will always talk about the Golden Mile and her ambition to get the work underway. She'll always mention the amount of work the council has done on our pipes. She'll mention her fight to upgrade the council's social housing, and of course she'll praise her work on building the cycleways that split the city in more ways than one. She told me she rates her mayoralty a nine out of ten. But that's her saying those things. Wellington as a city will reflect on some more colourful aspects of her leadership. The drinking; Whanau admitted to being a bit tipsy when she left The Old Quarter restaurant without paying her bill, and how can we forget the alleged 'do you know who I am' comment. Who will forget Whanau bringing her dog into the council office. That was a no no. And in November 2023 she publicly acknowledged having an alcohol problem following a drunken incident at a bar. Then there was that interview on Wellington Mornings that made national news. Whanau, who earns $180,000 a year, mentioned she was selling her car to help pay her bills. She later admitted that the car had been sold months earlier, and her comments were supposedly taken out of context. But that's her personal legacy. What's her political legacy? Well she pushed the terrible Reading Cinema deal that was going to cost Wellington City Council $32 million in a corporate welfare deal. That failed. She advocated for the sale of the Wellington City Council's 34% stake in the Wellington International Airport. That failed. She got her Bunnings shovel out yesterday to dig up the Golden Mile, but most contracts still haven't been signed and it may never fully go ahead. I think it's fair to say most people in this city feel Wellington has gone backwards in the last three years. That's her legacy. Personally, I have always had a good relationship with Tory. Yes, she cut her connections with our programme. She felt it wasn't talking to her people, and she probably thought I was too tough on her. But we got along. I respected her, and while I didn't like a lot of what she did as mayor, she was a character. I did like the fact we had a character as mayor. Unfortunately for us, it went too far. We started to be the butt of everybody's jokes. Her decision yesterday is a bad good thing for Wellington. I'm sad we won't have an exciting race or a strong contest of ideas. But it means the city is guaranteed a new direction - something a lot of us have wanted for a long time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, the Finance Minister has announced the government will slash new spending in the upcoming budget, Wellington will elect a new mayor later this year after Tory Whanau confirmed she won't run for a second term, the Canadian election cycle has been dominated by high cost of living and the country's relationship with the US, a huge unexplained power cut took out electricity in Spain, Portugal and parts of France, what lots of households pay for their power bills has increased this month, and the election campaign is heating up in Australia.

Wellington mayor, Tory Whanau, has quit the mayoralty race. Whanau announced on Monday night she won't be running for a second term as mayor and will instead run for the Māori Ward. Wellington Issues reporter Nick James spoke to Corin Dann.

Right-leaning independent mayoral candidate and current Wellington councillor, Ray Chung, believes he still has a shot at the mayoralty. Chung spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Wellington will elect a new mayor later this year after Tory Whanau confirmed she won't run for a second term. Her decision came less than 12 hours after long-serving Labour politician Andrew Little won the backing of the Wellington Labour Party to run for the mayoralty. Little spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 29th of April, Tory Whanau has decided to drop her bid for re-election – this must be the news Wellington wanted. Shane Jones is rejecting the co-governance plan for the Waitakere Ranges, and we look at the latest fruit market to go gangbusters – persimmons! Quest Means Business host on CNN, Richard Quest joins to talk Trump's first 100 days and the global effects of the tariff debacle. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau's shock U-turn not to run for the Wellington mayoralty again marks three consecutive one-term mayors for the capital. Whanau has this morning revealed she's dropping out of the race, saying she wants to give Andrew Little a clearer run to victory. It means Whanau, along with the two previous mayors Andy Foster and Justin Lester, only served one term in the job. Former Mayor Dame Kerry Prendergast told Mike Hosking that's bad for the city, which needs stability. Tory Whanau will stand for the city's Māori ward. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau is bowing out of Wellington's mayoral race. The incumbent's confirmed she'll instead stand for the council's Māori ward seat to give former Labour Leader Andrew Little a clear run. She says Little will do a good job, and she hopes people see her withdrawal as a gracious move. Whanau told Nick Mills she had to consider what was going to deliver the best outcomes for Wellington, and that meant shifting to running for council. She says she'll still very much be there fighting for Wellington. Whanau says that while she does have a few regrets from her term as Mayor, she's mostly proud of what she's done. When asked to rate her performance, she gave herself a high score. “If I look back on what I campaigned on, what I said I would deliver to the city, you know, I'd give myself a 9/10. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses in the capital city are still feeling glum - Westpac's latest survey has found Wellington has the lowest business confidence of any region in the country. With interest rates dropping and spending increasing, when will confidence return? Also, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has officially turned the sod at the first tranche of Golden Mile works this morning. How will the plan affect businesses? To answer those questions, Working Style director Chris Dobbs and Tommy's Real Estate CEO Ben Castle joined Nick Mills for the Business Panel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses in the capital city are still feeling glum - Westpac's latest survey has found Wellington has the lowest business confidence of any region in the country. With interest rates dropping and spending increasing, when will confidence return? Also, Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has officially turned the sod at the first tranche of Golden Mile works this morning. How will the plan affect businesses? To answer those questions, Working Style director Chris Dobbs and Tommy's Real Estate CEO Ben Castle joined Nick Mills for the Business Panel. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 29 April 2025, Tory Whanau has given up her bid to be re-elected Wellington's Mayor. Ryan Bridge got reaction from the apparent frontrunner in the race, Andrew Little. The construction industry is celebrating the government's to allow reputable builders, plumbers and drainlayers to self-certify their own work for certain builds. We get the latest from Australian as the election campaign draws to a close. Ryan gives a reality check for those complaining about Air New Zealand's prices. Get the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau is bowing out of Wellington's mayoral race. The incumbent's confirmed she'll instead stand for the council's Māori ward seat to give former Labour Leader Andrew Little a clear run. She says Little will do a good job, and she hopes people see her withdrawal as a gracious move. Little's been critical of Whanau, calling rate increases under her leadership "simply not acceptable". He told Ryan Bridge Whanau advised him before announcing her decision. A key focus of both the residents and candidates is Wellington's high rates, and Little says he wants to slow the rise. He says a 35% increase over the next three years is simply not acceptable. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm starting to wonder who isn't running for mayor in Wellington. Former Labour leader Andrew Little is the latest one joining the race to oust current mayor Tory Whanau. And, just in case you think so, I'm not endorsing Andrew Little in any way, shape, or form. But I do think having former MPs on local councils is a very good thing. Because whether we like it or not, local councils cannot operate in isolation and knowing how things in Wellington work is invaluable. Andrew Little isn't the first ex-MP wanting to get into local government. Former National MP Nick Smith is the mayor of Nelson. Phil Goff was mayor of Auckland. In Christchurch, former Labour politician Lianne Dalziel was elected mayor three times. Maurice Williamson —who was a National MP and minister— is on Auckland Council these days. John Banks. The list goes on. And they don't admit it at the time, but when these ex-MPs stand for their local councils, it's not just their political experience they're banking on. They also know full well that they're making the most of apathetic voters who look for a name they know and end up voting for them. When it comes to name recognition, I reckon an ex-MP has way more chance of being successful in the job than some of the other people you see milking their name recognition to get elected to their local council. People in my game do it. In fact, it seems to me that if media people don't go on to be marriage and funeral celebrants, they go on to be a local councillor. Not that you will ever catch me doing that. Last thing I'd want to do. Sportspeople milk their name recognition too. I'm not in Tauranga and don't know all the ins-and-outs, but I think it's pretty safe to say that the reason Mahe Drysdale is the mayor of Tauranga is because of his brilliant rowing career. He's got none of this so-called “business experience” that some people think is essential for someone to be good at running a town or a city. He's got no prior political experience. He's just a name. Voters obviously thought he was a good Kiwi bloke, he's done well in his sport, so they voted for him. Not that, from what I've seen, it's been all plain sailing for him so far. I've seen a few stories with him getting heat for stuff – and that is where people's lack of political experience shows. And why I think it's a very good thing to have people former MPs on our local councils. They're not perfect —Lianne Dalziel was far from perfect— but they know what they're getting themselves into. They generally don't set the world on fire, but I don't care about that. Because, whether we like it or not, local and central government are intertwined. Local government is way more dependent on central government than it would like to admit. Especially, when they're in the schtuck. When they need to get Wellington on their side. Which is why having people as mayors and councillors who know exactly how to get the government on side —because they've been there and done that— that's why it is so beneficial. And that's why I'll take an ex-politician over an ex-media personality or an ex-sporting hero any day, when it comes to who I want to see on my local council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour leader Andrew Little has today confirmed he will stand for the Wellington mayoralty in the upcoming local body elections. Little said he is standing for mayor because Wellington needs “urgent change” and “serious leadership”. “I'm confident I can win,” he said today. He had previously ruled out throwing his hat in the ring but has revealed this morning that he wants to “end the chaos at council” which he believed he had the experience to do. He wanted to return the council to “what it should be doing” and serving the people. Little says he's been approached by “quite a cross-section” of Wellingtonians asking him to run. “Obviously Labour people but also National Party, Green Party people, community leaders, business people.” He said the city was in a fragile state and believed some major projects could be reconsidered. “We need to make sure what we are doing isn't causing disruption at a particularly sensitive time.” The first phase of the Golden Mile project was scheduled to start this month, but Little suggested further work could be deferred. “For the remainder of the project, I'm not saying don't do it, what I am saying is let's have a think about when it might be best to do that.” The city needed to recover, he said. Little's main priorities have been listed as investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, prioritising cheaper transport and housing development, supporting small businesses, taking action on climate and honouring the Treaty. He said it was clear to him that Wellington “is in trouble”. He highlighted the city's cost of living crisis, public service cuts and the council being “out of touch” as three of the major issues facing Wellington residents. He said he wants to do away with “regressive” policies like asset sales, closure of community facilities and “millions of dollars in corporate welfare for an international cinema owner”. “My focus as mayor will be getting the best for Wellington. That means being able to work constructively with the Government in the city's interests and it means standing up to the Beehive when needed. It means being clear in my Labour values but always working across political lines to be a mayor for all of Wellington.” “This council [has] on the block a number of community facilities like the Khandallah pool, like Begonia House - those things should be our priorities, they're certainly my priorities. Those are the things that strengthen communities and make a city.“ He said the recent rates rises were “not acceptable” and making the city unaffordable, and thought the council needed a “much tighter grip on council finances”. While he believed cycleways were a good thing some routes had been poorly executed. He said his track record showed he was able to work with people from across the political spectrum. “We all love this city. We're creative, we're full of talent, we're diverse, and we're a place where people from all walks of life can feel included and make a home. “Wellington is the place I chose with my wife Leigh to raise our family and there's nowhere else we would rather be.” He has submitted his nomination seeking the Wellington Labour Party's support for his mayoral campaign and a formal campaign launch will follow in the coming weeks. Little entered Parliament in 2011 and was leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2017. Little was a senior minister under former prime ministers Dame Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins. Candidates who have confirmed plans to run for the mayoralty are Tory Whanau, councillor Ray Chung, businessman Karl Tiefenbacher, conservationist Kelvin Hastie, Wellington Live owner Graham Bloxham and former city councillor Rob Goulden. The election will be held on October 11. Little joined Nick Mills to discuss his candidacy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Tuesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) There Really Is No Hope. Move On/A Tale of Two Labours/Stop Ignoring Us. Sometimes/More Covid Triggers/Walton's WangerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau is sounding off on the Prime Minister after failing to reach a deadline made for all councils. Councils were encouraged to deliver a plan that the Government could help with, and Wellington didn't deliver one in time. Whanau then said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is 'not a very nice person.' Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper said the Mayor thought the comment would work in her favour. "She said it works for her because a lot of people in Wellington don't like Luxon," he said. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tory Whanau has opened up about how she seriously considered quitting the mayoralty, being "humiliated in front of the whole country" and fighting the patriarchy. The Wellington mayor has faced several challenges - both political and personal - during her time in the capital's mayor. Wellington Issues Reporter Nick James spoke to Lisa Owen.

Wellington Water's boss says local councils have every right to be angry at them. Tory Whanau yesterday described her council's relationship with the organisation as “tense” at a special meeting, following revelations last week it wasn't getting value for ratepayers' money. Wellington Water CEO Pat Dougherty told Mike Hosking he and his staff are doing everything they can to find the issues and fix them. He says there's been a culture of putting too much trust in their contractors, and he wants a more tense and accountable relationship. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big-ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all. Andrew Bayly: 3/10 It's a sad business. Was it a sackable offence? No. Does it put people off entering politics? I would have thought so. But when you call someone a loser and grab an arm, can you survive? It was the re-offence that was sackable. Law and order: 8/10 The violent crime stats and new detainment powers are tangible evidence of progress in the right direction. Marsden and the rebuild: 2/10 That's what is wrong with coalitions. They indulge folly. Temu: 3/10 We are spending more there and less domestically. Never underestimate the power of cheap crap. Tory Whanau: 1/10 Cancelling her Newstalk ZB slot is the beginning of the end. Cancelling Newstalk ZB slots doesn't tend to go well for voting patterns – I speak from experience. The Warriors: 7/10 Unbeaten in the offseason and some fairly ordinary, blow-up bat-wielding Raiders to tackle first up. LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Wednesday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Dimly Lit Groundhog Day/Which Region Is the Specialest?/It's Your Job to Turn Up/The Price of Cheap Stuff/Dusty Old Memory LaneSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eyes are on Wellington City council, officially. The local government minister's appointing a crown observer to monitor and report back on what he has described as a shambles Things came to a head after a plan, that was supported by Mayor Tory Whanau, to sell council's stake in Wellington Airport was vetoed. fracturing the council further. The money was to fund development and an insurance gap the city would face if it had to rebuild after a disaster. Meaning it's back to the drawing board for a long term plan. Councillors held an urgent meeting following the announcement and have ten days to respond to Simeon Brown's move to appoint an observer. Tory Whanau told media afterwards that she wasn't surprised by the minister's decision. Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown spoke to Lisa Owen.

Local government minister, Simeon Brown, is set to meet with Wellington mayor Tory Whanau on Thursday to discuss her council's performance. Wellington City councillor Iona Pannett spoke to Corin Dann.

Wellington's Mayor Tory Whanau is meeting with the Local Government Minister Simeon Brown on Thursday as her council faces the threat of government intervention. Krystal Gibbens reports.