Election, what election? Auckland councillor kicks up her heels on turning 50

Auckland councillor Josephine Bartley spent election day helping constituents and celebrating her 50th birthday. Photo / Supplied

For one Auckland councillor, yesterday's re-election played second fiddle to turning 50 and kicking up her heels with family and friends.

In a video posted online, Labour councillor Josephine Bartley can be seen screaming and clapping her hands as family and friends sing Happy Birthday to her at the Zookeeper's Son bar in Royal Oak.

Thank you Royal Oak for seeing in my birthday much love pic.twitter.com/7YhGMCeDOU

— Jo Bartley (@jobartleynz) October 8, 2022

After a long day, which started with packing food parcels at Vinnie's Food Hub in Onehunga, Bartley said the focus was on "celebrating my life", not the local body elections.

Besides, the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki councillor was re-elected for a second term with a comfortable margin over a centre-right rival.

After helping constituents struggling with the basic needs of food, Bartley caught up with some old school girlfriends from McCauley High School in Otahuhu for high tea and then dinner at a Thai restaurant before celebrations cranked up a notch or two at the Zookeeper's Son.

Partying aside, it was a bittersweet day for the city's first Pasifika councillor, seeing her Pasifika colleague and close friend Efeso Collins lose the mayoralty to businessman Wayne Brown.

Bartley felt sad for Collins, but in a post on Twitter said she was proud of the legacy he had inspired.

I know it may seem hard right now but what you’ve done is bigger than the mayoralty you’ve shown who we are as Pasifika, caring, articulate, intelligent, patient and that we can rise above it. I’m so proud of the legacy you lead and the next lot you have inspired. #trailblazer pic.twitter.com/XFUfFAt6gR

— Jo Bartley (@jobartleynz) October 8, 2022

"I know it may seem hard right now but what you've done is bigger than the mayoralty you've shown who we are as Pasifika, caring, articulate, intelligent, patient and that we can rise above it," Bartley said.

"He's done something pretty amazing," she told the Herald.