Councillor Tamatha Paul’s stunning general election victory in the Wellington Central electorate will mean changes at Wellington City Council.

Cr Paul – the second Māori wāhine to ever be elected to the Council and one of its youngest ever councillors – will step down from Council on Friday November 10, once the writ is returned to the Clerk of the House.

“It’s been a privilege to serve Wellington for the past four years and I’m excited to take my knowledge and experience of local government into Parliament.

“Whilst the Government has been in caretaker mode I decided to continue to serve as a Councillor, continuing strong representation for my ward during the critical early development stages of the LTP.

“Once the writ has been signed, it is appropriate for me to resign to focus on my work as parliamentarian. I will be donating the wage I have earned as a Councillor, whilst we’ve waited for Government to form, to charity.”

The move will trigger a by-election in the Pukehīnau Lambton Ward for Cr Paul’s vacant seat. There are legal requirements of when a by-election must take place dependent on when a sitting councillor’s resignation is received. In this instance, the earliest a by-election can occur is 17 February 2024.

The by-election is expected to cost about $120,000.

Mayor Tory Whanau says Tamatha has been a valued colleague and friend.

“We will miss Tamatha as a staunch representative for people and the planet, but I am totally thrilled that she is heading to Parliament, where she’ll work just as hard for her community as she has at Council.”

Mayor Whanau says Councillor Paul’s imminent departure, where she will be leaving key committee roles, coincides with a review of all Council committees.

“I’ve been in office for a year now and I want to ensure we have the right Councillors on the right committees for the benefit of all Wellingtonians.

"I will be making a fulsome decision about Chair positions once the Code of Conduct complaint against five councillors has concluded in late-November, it would not be appropriate to make decisions about our Committee Chairs whilst that investigation is underway.

“In the interim, the Deputy Chair for Environment and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Tim Brown, will fill the role of Chair, and we will run the Regulatory Processes Committee at seven members, which is sufficient to reach a quorum.”

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