Former Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has shared some of the reasons why she is leaving New Zealand and heading to Melbourne. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Former Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has shared some of the reasons why she is leaving New Zealand and heading to Melbourne. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Tory Whanau has confirmed her plans to move across the ditch to Melbourne after a “challenging” time as Wellington mayor.
The one-term mayor said one of the reasons behind the shift was the intensity of political life in New Zealand.
The move was signalled to the Herald last monthbut was officially set in stone in an announcement today.
In a post on LinkedIn, Whanau shared more about her decision and the reasons that drove her away from New Zealand.
“While I had hoped to keep this decision private now that I’m no longer in public office, it has recently been reported in the news. So I want to share the context in my own words.
“I’ve decided to leave New Zealand for a combination of economic, professional, and personal reasons,” she said in the post.
Tory Whanau has confirmed her plans to move across the ditch to Melbourne. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Some of the reasons behind her decision included the economic climate, which she said hit Wellington particularly hard.
“The current Government’s deep cuts to the public service have had flow-on effects across multiple sectors, reducing opportunities not just for me, but for many talented New Zealanders,” she said.
Whanau said she believed there are limited roles that align with her experience in governance, leadership and politics in New Zealand.
“I’m also aware that my public profile, along with my strong and at times critical positions on national policy, creates political risk for some organisations.
“I get it. It’s simply the reality of a small country where politics and professional networks are tightly interwoven,” she said.
Whanau said stepping into a larger international environment would remove those constraints and open up opportunities to contribute.
She said another reason for the change in scenery was the intensity of political life in New Zealand, which she said was becoming “increasingly personal”.
“While scrutiny is normal and expected in public office, the last few years brought a level of attention, including misinformation and harassment, that goes way beyond healthy democratic debate.
“It’s ongoing and I want to create space from that environment to reset, rebuild and protect my wellbeing,” Whanau said.
Why Melbourne?
Whanau said the decision to move to Melbourne was partly because she had lived in the “vibrant” city previously, but she signalled her move wouldn’t last forever.
“I genuinely love Melbourne. I’ve lived there before and it’s a vibrant, diverse, international city where I can grow, contribute and simply enjoy life again.
“And importantly, my move isn’t an abandonment of Wellington or Aotearoa. I care deeply about this city and this country.”
Whanau said she would continue to support causes and communities she believed in from Australia.
Tory Whanau is proud of her mayoralty achievements but is now looking for opportunities in Australia. Photo / Mark Mitchell
“This is not a permanent goodbye – it’s an intentional step toward growth, opportunity and sustainability,” the post said.
Whanau quit the mayoral race in April to instead run for the Māori ward but was beaten by Labour’s Matthew Reweti, who gained the high-profile endorsement of local iwi.
“I worked in a pretty toxic environment, now I don’t have to go back there, and I felt kind of excited about what could possibly be next,” she told the Herald last month.
Whanau said “it was obviously a very challenging term”, but she is proud of her mayoralty achievements.
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