Tania Wright's maskless appearance in a council group photo riled a member of the public so much that a complaint to police was laid. Photo / Supplied
Napier's mayor has described some of the reaction to her council's longest serving councillor not wearing a mask in a group photo as "hideous".
Councillor Tania Wright says health reasons were behind her appearance without a mask in a council group photo on Wednesday.
The photo was taken after the council's historic Māori wards decision and it is understood to have riled some members of the public so much that a complaint to police was made.
A police spokesperson said for privacy reasons they were unable to confirm the complaint.
Wright is in her sixth term on council - 18 years of distinction spanning more than a quarter of a century and almost half her life since her first election to the council in 1995.
But she told Hawke's Bay Today that she has decided for health reasons not to seek re-election at the triennial local elections next year.
Napier mayor Kirsten Wise said the council was well aware of the councillor's exemption from wearing the mask and described some of the public reaction as "hideous".
Wright declined to comment further, including on the "Māori wards" meeting before the photo, where she was the only abstention from the otherwise unanimous council vote in favour of installing the wards in the council structure in 2025.
She was also the only councillor present not to speak to the motion put by the mayor and seconded by deputy Annette Brosnan.
Wright has served under four mayors, and through three different representation structures.
She was first elected in a city-wide (without wards) vote in 1995, serving a term under mayor Alan Dick, but decided not to stand again in 1998, saying at the time she had lost her "initial idealism" about what she could achieve as a councillor.
With mayor Barbara Arnott in place, she returned in another full council election in 2004, giving some insight by revealing a battle against breast cancer, telling Hawke's Bay Today reporter Mary Shanahan: "When you face your death council is a doddle, really."
She was successful again in 2007 as one of two Taradale Ward representatives after a six-yearly representation review introduced a new mix of six ward councillors from four wards and six chosen city-wide, known as "at-large".
She stuck with the ship again in 2010 but did not seek re-election in 2013, seen by many observers as the end of her local government career.
She surprised many when she returned in 2016 for what became the last of two terms of mayor Bill Dalton - the last term of the mixed at-large and wards council representation.
She was successful again in 2019 as one of four Taradale councillors in a full-wards council, with a new leader in mayor Wise.
Mayor seeks re-election
Meanwhile, Wise has confirmed she does plan to seek re-election in 2022, having served one term since winning the mayoralty in 2019 by wide margins from three other candidates.
They included Chris Tremain, who says now he realises that having retired from Parliament, in which he served a period as Local Government Minister, he should have stayed out of politics, even to the point of not commenting on political issues, such as Māori wards.
Wise has heard of rumours that she would stand as a parliamentary candidate for the National Party but they were not true.
She conceded that after just one term at the council helm there would be unfinished business and added: "I'm definitely standing again. There will still be plenty of work to do."
Fifth-term councillor and Ahuriri Ward representative Keith Price said he intends standing again next year, and if re-elected might even consider seeking a seventh term at the following elections in 2025, but Councillor Maxine Boag, in a fifth term in the Nelson Park Ward, says she hasn't decided yet whether she will stand again.
In a 12-member council that has five in their first term, Taradale councillor Graeme Taylor, first elected in 2013, is unsure yet whether he will seek a fourth term.
One change likely in council leadership in Hawke's Bay is in Wairoa where mayor Craig Little, who assumed the chains of office when ousting previous mayor Les Probert in 2013, has reaffirmed his original intention to serve no more than three terms, which would expire at the election next year.
But, he conceded anything could change in the modern era, including the possibility of pandemic uncertainty and disruption postponing the elections.