Kerrin Leoni

Auckland Council

Councillor Kerrin Leoni
Whau ward Councillor
Incumbent
Assumed office 2022
Years	Ward	Affiliation
2022 –present	Whau		Labour

Leoni was elected to the Waitematā Local Board in 2019 on the City Vision ticket. She served as deputy chair for the first half of the term. ^[6] On 23 February 2020, Leoni was selected as Labour's candidate for the Waikato electorate for the 2020 election, ^[7] officially launching her campaign in August. ^[4] Despite a strong pro-Labour swing, Leoni lost to the incumbent National MP Tim van de Molen. ^[8] Her list placement of 66th was not high enough to enter parliament.

In the 2022 local body elections, Leoni was elected as a councillor for the Whau ward, after narrowly winning the election from the incumbent councillor Tracy Mulholland. Leoni is the first female Māori councillor to be elected to the Auckland Council. ^{[9] [10]}

In 2024, Leoni announced that she would run for Mayor of Auckland in the 2025 elections. ^{[2] [11]}

References

1. "Kerrin Leoni – Candidate for Waikato – NZ Labour Party". New Zealand Labour Party. Archived from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
2. "Auckland councillor Kerrin Leoni first out of the blocks to express interest in standing for mayor". The New Zealand Herald . 23 October 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
3. Leoni, Kerrin (2007). Ka tipu mai nga taiohi Māori: a study of taiohi Māori leaving care in New Zealand (Masters thesis). Tuwhera Open Access, Auckland University of Technology. hdl:10292/9708.
4. Gullery, Lawrence (2 August 2020). "First-time candidate Kerrin Leoni launches Labour's bid for the Waikato electorate". Stuff . Retrieved 16 October 2022.
5. Walters, Laura (10 August 2021). "Team of 6 million: How NZ can harness the power of Kiwis living overseas". The Spinoff . Retrieved 16 October 2022.
6. "Halfway point brings change of Deputy Chair for Waitematā Local Board". Auckland Council. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
7. "Labour Selects Candidate For Seat That Helen Clark And Jacinda Ardern First Stood In". Scoop. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
8. "Official Count Results — Waikato". New Zealand Electoral Commission.
9. "Local elections 2022 – Official results" (PDF). Local elections 2022 – Official results. Auckland Council. 15 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
10. "Auckland's first wāhine Māori councillor wants mana whenua to have more say". Radio New Zealand . 18 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
11. Leatinu'u, Aui'a Vaimaila (19 November 2024). "Kerrin Leoni declares mayoral bid, champions Te Tiriti". PMN | Pacific Media Network. Retrieved 13 January 2025.