Greens win New Zealand’s capital


by Jim Jepps    
10:20 am - October 14th 2010

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In a dramatic neck and neck finish Green Party councillor Celia Wade-Brown has won the Mayoralty of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

On Friday night at close of counting there was just 40 votes between her and incumbent right wing Mayor, Kerry Prendergast, with Prendergast in front. Counting was then suspended while the ‘special votes’ came in (votes from embassies, delayed postal votes and others).

The final vote today, Wednesday, was 24,881 to Celia and 24,705 to Kerry.

This comes on top of an already good set of results in the local elections across New Zealand for the left and for the Greens, although it’s beyond me to do the number crunching because candidates don’t use party descriptions, making a proper analysis the preserve of those with a far more in depth knowledge of local politics than I have.

Prendergast was running for her fourth term as Mayor and had a generally good reputation, which made her a tough opponent to beat.

In Celia’s victory speech she described her success as “the ongoing evolution of Wellingtonians’ existing commitment to a resilient, cosmopolitan and beautiful city, a continuation of some trends to a cleaner ocean, renewable energy and protected biodiversity, and definitely a city where there are quality jobs and worthwhile businesses.”

The broad based campaign which focused on transport, technology and communities drew in activists and organisers well beyond the Green Party itself. She also said that her election showed “the Greens can be a credible force in governing communities”.

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About the author
Jim Jepps is a socialist in the Green Party and formerly blogged at the Daily (Maybe). He currently writes on London politics, community and the environment at Big Smoke.
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Reader comments


1. Alun

And the candidate of the left (in this case a Labour member) won the election in Auckland – greatly enlarged for this election. Local government in NZ tends to be on the right/in the pocket of business interests, so this sort of thing is encouraging.

2. Trofim

It’s easy being green in NZ. Don’t forget, the entire population is about half the population of London. Paradise.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
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  2. Huw Spanner

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  9. Chris

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  10. The Green Party

    RT @libcon Celia Wade-Brown, NZ Green councillor, wins mayoralty race in Wellington, New Zealand's capital – http://bit.ly/9OEqzD

  11. Ken Spagnolo

    RT @TheGreenParty: RT @libcon Celia Wade-Brown, NZ Green councillor, wins mayoralty race in Wellington, New Zealand's capital – http://bit.ly/9OEqzD

  12. BadgerMash

    RT @TheGreenParty: RT @libcon Celia Wade-Brown, NZ Green councillor, wins mayoralty race in Wellington, New Zealand's capital – http://bit.ly/9OEqzD

  13. conspiracy theo

    Greens win New Zealand's capital | Liberal Conspiracy http://bit.ly/9P33E9

  14. Chris Alders

    RT @TheGreenParty: RT @libcon Celia Wade-Brown, NZ Green councillor, wins mayoralty race in Wellington, New Zealand's capital – http://bit.ly/9OEqzD

  15. Casper ter Kuile

    We have a Green Mayor in New Zealand's capital https://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/10/14/greens-win-new-zealands-capital/

  16. blogs of the world

    Greens win New Zealand's capital. by Jim Jepps October 14, 2010 at 10:20 am. In a dramatic… http://reduce.li/vtxf55 #win





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