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Manukau Mayor Len Brown, who suffered a heart attack on Saturday night, had as far back as December reassured people who were concerned he was working too hard, saying it was his "usual style of operating".
Mr Brown was in a critical but stable condition in Auckland City
Hospital last night after collapsing on stage at the Pacific Music Awards.
Mr Brown, 51, was speaking at the awards - an event he had been looking forward to - and was taking off his reading glasses when he slumped to the floor.
Nurses in the audience at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau, administered CPR until St John Ambulance paramedics took over.
The mayor was initially taken to Middlemore Hospital and then transferred to Auckland City Hospital.
His wife, Shan Inglis, visited him last night and said he was still in a critical but stable condition. The couple have three daughters aged between 19 and 8.
Mr Brown had been a lawyer and city councillor in Manukau when he was elected mayor eight months ago, on his second attempt.
He had set himself a punishing schedule. The previous Saturday the couple were at the centre for the Mayoress' Charity Ball, which raised $290,00 for paediatric spaces in the new intensive care unit at Middlemore Hospital.
Mr Brown writes a weekly newsletter on the council website and in December he raised the issue of his high workrate.
"There has been some concern expressed that I am working too hard and people have worried that I might burn myself out. I want to assure you that this is my usual style of operating and that, in fact, I'm just warming up."
Acting mayor Gary Troup said last night that Mr Brown did not seem to suffer from stress.
"He does lunchtime at the gym. It's not every day but he keeps himself in pretty good nick. So this is such a shock for everybody ... at his age.
"Apparently, on the night he was just normal Len, because he's really into the music and the Pacific flavour."
Long-time friend and former deputy mayor Su'a William Sio rushed to Mr Brown's side when he saw him fall. "He had been his usual up-beat self ... they promote him as the Singing Mayor," said Mr Sio, who became a Labour list MP in April.
"He is fitter than I am so we were not expecting anything like this.
"Len always works hard and he worked hard for the role of mayor long before his first attempt in 2004 and he has not stopped."
Mr Sio said he and Mr Brown spent the first six months of their new term "getting out and about to all the kids and getting them to focus on their dreams. He is not out of the woods yet and his family is deeply appreciative of all the prayers and support from the people."
Pacific Music Awards Trust spokeswoman Petrina George denied reports that television crews' films of Mr Brown's collapse were seized by members of the Destiny Church.
She said that after Mr Brown collapsed, people were asked to leave the auditorium and TV crews were requested to stop filming in deference to the mayor and his family.
Ms George said: "Under our instructions, our support crew asked the TV people if they would mind deleting any footage of Mr Brown's collapse. That request was agreed to immediately."
