Wellington mayoral race: Has Tory Whanau’s experience deterred other women from running?

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau has decided not to run for the top job again. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says one of the reasons she decided not to run for the top job again is the “horrific abuse” she’s faced in the role, and the impact that has on women and marginalised communities considering a career in politics.

As it stands, seven candidates have thrown their hat in the ring to replace Whanau as mayor this year, all of them men.

In an interview earlier this month with Victoria University’s student magazine Salient, Whanau was asked whether she would recommend the job of mayor to others.

After an outburst of laughter, Whanau replied “absolutely”, and said she had no regrets, while acknowledging her mayoralty had attracted a lot of “negativity in the media and online”.

She went on to explain why she decided to call it quits.

“One of the big drivers for me stepping aside from the mayoralty is, and this is me speaking to a lot of rangatahi Māori and wahine Māori, them seeing me under attack, them seeing me receive death threats, them seeing me receiving horrific abuse impacts their decision-making when it comes to stepping up in the future.

“I don’t want them to see that. I don’t want them to witness it. I want to make safer pathways for women and marginalised communities to get into politics.”

So has Whanau’s tenure turned women off running for mayor this time around, or is the lack of representation simply coincidence?

Wellington’s two previous female leaders agree the level of abuse directed at women politicians has grown far worse in recent years, with one calling it a “democratic issue we must face head on”.

‘Horror at the way I have been portrayed’

Whanau told the Herald it’s a “deep shame” no women are running to replace her as mayor, but said it was also “understandable”.

She said when you look at what women in politics have gone through, it’s not an attractive pathway.

“For years I’ve seen women like Metiria Turei, Jacinda Ardern, Tamatha Paul, Kiritapu Allen and Golriz Ghahraman be treated horrifically by the media and online trolls.

“It discourages other women of colour or wahine Māori from putting themselves forward which, in the end, impacts democracy and representation. We are a very diverse country, and our government should reflect that.

“Many women across Wellington have expressed their horror and disappointment at the way I have been portrayed in the media and online.”

Tory Whanau has faced challenges during her mayoralty, including the appointment of a Crown Observer and public acknowledgement of a drinking problem. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Whanau said Wellington City Council under her leadership has delivered a successful District Plan, Long Term Plan and water reform.

“Yet the focus of many media articles have been ‘clickbait’ headlines about my personal life and a ‘City in chaos/crisis’ which have been incredibly unfair. In some cases they have not been credible sources and the stories untrue.”

Whanau has faced numerous challenges during her mayoralty, including the appointment of a Crown Observer, devising the controversial and failed Reading Cinema deal and airport shares sale, and publicly announcing she has a drinking problem.

She also faced criticism early in her term for not attending a number of civic events and meetings. She said at the time that the focus on her attendance was “gendered”.

Whanau said the political landscape has changed over the past few years, putting people off running in local elections or becoming a public figure in general.

She pointed to two reports highlighting an increase in online violence towards women and queer politicians.

“Other reasons, such as intense scrutiny and misinformation about the personal lives of politicians is also an off-putting factor. Fringe groups, such as Better Wellington, are contributing to a negative discourse in politics,” she said.

Whanau said she has joined groups like the National Council of Women, Global Women, NetSafe and Internet NZ to explore ways to create safer pathways for women into public office.

“I’ll be advocating for things like changes to online regulation and hate speech legislation to help address some of these issues. I’m also mentoring other young leaders now to give them the tools and advice necessary to build resilience for politics.”

In regard to who she hopes to hand the mayoral chains to come October, Whanau said she stepped aside to pave the way for Andrew Little.

“I have respect for his depth of experience and values. I believe he will win the mayoralty, but he mustn’t be complacent, as there are very aggressive campaigns for other candidates that have the ability to gain traction.”

‘We can’t allow abuse to discourage women’

The last woman to be mayor of Wellington was Celia Wade-Brown, who held the role from 2010 to 2016.

She told the Herald that abuse against women in politics is a democratic issue we must face head on.

“I remember when I was standing to become the third female mayor of Wellington in 2010, someone said: ‘We don’t want another woman’.

“There had been 31 men and two women mayors before me. However, the level of abuse has grown far worse since.

“Earlier this year research was released which showed how insidious and pervasive the abuse directed at women in politics can be, with particular vitriol reserved for wahine Māori. Everyone can now see, in stark black and white, just how difficult life can be for our female leaders.”

Green MP Celia Wade-Brown was mayor of Wellington from 2010 to 2016.

Wade-Brown said when abuse drives women and members of other marginalised groups out of leadership roles and public life, we lose out on hearing vital voices that can drive real change for diverse communities.

“We can’t allow abusive behaviour to discourage women from standing as candidates, or silence leadership that reflects us all. It’s time to support inclusive leadership and call out any abuse we hear.”

The now Green MP said New Zealand has had many strong female mayors lead communities with vision. She said it was crucial Wellington has broad representation in its mayoral candidates.

Wade-Brown took over as Wellington mayor from the woman who held the role the longest – Dame Kerry Prendergast.

She remained in charge of the capital for a full three terms, from 2001 to 2010.

Prendergast also feels women politicians receive unacceptable levels of abuse.

“There has always been that unsafe element to public-facing roles – councillors, mayors and MPs. But I do believe women get it worse and feel less safe, especially with the increase in social media and abuse and bullying online.”

Dame Kerry Prendergast. Photo / Stephen A'Court

Prendergast told the Herald she would love to see strong female candidates standing in Wellington this year, for choice.

But she acknowledged how tough the role is, and how it wouldn’t be for everyone.

“More than full time and in my belief, you need a support network. I couldn’t have done it without my husband’s 100% support.”

Jo Coughlan unsuccessfully ran for mayor against Justin Lester in 2016, with a well-publicised “four lanes to the planes” campaign.

She said social media has made things worse for both men and women in political roles, making them a public target.

“Social media has amplified the sometimes cruel and unforgiving nature of much of the commentary that elected representatives receive. It seems to come with the territory these days, but for many men and women the costs of being in public office outweigh the benefit.”

Jo Coughlan ran for Wellington mayor in 2016. Photo / Supplied

Coughlan said she respects those who put their hand up for public office and doesn’t think the negative commentary around councillors or mayors – whoever they are - is helpful.

“It is easy to sit on the sidelines and criticise the work that people do in public office or their capability. People can be cruel, and this unfortunately is human nature – you must have a tough skin and be able to brush things off.

“Candidates need to be safe though – so it is important that if there are cases of serious threat and abuse, they are dealt with by the Council or the Police."

Coughlan said it’s always good to have a diverse line up of candidates to give voters choice, but ultimately, it’s about finding the best person for the job.

Neither Prendergast, Wade-Brown or Coughlan would endorse any of the current candidates, with Prendergast saying she just wants “the best candidate that puts Wellington first, is intelligent, pragmatic and understands governance”.

Coughlan said she wants the best person for Wellington to win.

“While it has challenges, we have a fantastic city that isn’t reaching its potential. We need a leader who can make some significant constructive change and be a useful advocate for our wonderful city. They need to lead a back-to-basics council, focused on providing best value for money and moving forward with energy and style.”

Katrina Bennett has worked for NZME in its Wellington newsroom since 2008. She started as a radio reporter for Newstalk ZB before becoming a newsreader. She now manages the newsroom.