The 1901 Wellington City Council election was a local election held on 24 April in Wellington, New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters elected the mayor of Wellington for a one-year term and 15 city councillors for a two-year term. In person voting and the first-past-the-post voting system were used.
Electoral reforms were implemented in 1901, which extended the municipal term for councillors to biennial terms and saw the abolition of the ward system, implementing the process of electing councillors at large instead.
Ticket voting began in the city, bringing political competition in civic affairs with electors voting en bloc. A Ratepayers' Association was founded in 1899 opposing several of the then mayor, John Rutherfurd Blair, policies. Initially more of a pressure group, the association grew into a municipal ticket that claimed "The advancing of public enterprise likely to be for the public benefit" as it core policy belief. It was not wholly opposed to change but it favoured caution and defend the interests of the ratepayer in the new electoral environment in which the franchise had been widened. In 1901, a rival organisation, the Wellington Municipal Progressive Association, was established. It supported a more active policy for the city and promoted the interests of newly enfranchised voters. Both tickets interest-group activities were insufficient to maintain them outside of an election period. By 1902 both had largely faded away.
The Wellington Ratepayers' Associations endorsed 12 candidates, including William Henry Peter Barber, Frederick Bolton, Paul Coffey, Robert Davenport, James Devine, James Godber, John Luke, Matthew Murdoch, David Nathan, Allan Orr, John Smith Jr., and George Winder.
The Municipal Progressive Association endorsed the incumbent mayor John Aitken for re-election, as well as 12 candidates for council. These included William Henry Peter Barber, William Evans, James Godber, Alfred Hindmarsh, Charles Hayward Izard, John Luke, Matthew Murdoch, Robert McKenzie, David McLaren, Robert Tolhurst, John Smith Jr., and George Winder.
Candidates with connections to the organised labour and trade union movement included David McLaren, Robert McKenzie, Allan Orr, Paul Coffey, Edmond Carrigan, and Alfred Hindmarsh.
The results of the election were: