Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and third-largest city by population, behind Auckland and Christchurch. It consists of the central historic town and certain additional areas within the Wellington metropolitan area, extending as far north as Linden and covering rural areas such as MÃÂkara and Ohariu. The city adjoins Porirua in the north and Hutt City in the north-east. It is one of nine territorial authorities in the Wellington Region.
The council represents a population of as of and consists of a mayor and fifteen councillors elected from six wards (Northern, Onslow-Western, Lambton, Eastern, Southern general wards and Te Whanganui-a-Tara MÃÂori ward). It administers public works, sanitation, land use and building consents, among other local services. The council has used the marketing slogan "Absolutely Positively Wellington" in an official capacity since the early 1990s.
The mayor and all councillors are members of council.
One mayor is elected at large from the entire Wellington City district.
Te Whanganui a Tara is a MÃÂori ward created by Wellington City Council in 2021. The 2022 election returned Nëkau Wi-Neera as its first-ever councillor. Wi-Neera retired from the seat at the 2025 election, and was replaced by Labour's Matthew Reweti.
Motukairangi/Eastern ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
Pukehënau/Lambton ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
Takapà «/Northern ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
Wharangi/Onslow-Western ward returns three councillors to the Wellington City Council. Since 2025 the councillors are:
Paekawakawa/Southern ward is the only ward that returns two councillors to the Wellington City Council (all others returning one or three). Since 2025 the councillors are:
Two pouiwi (tribal representatives) were appointed in 2023 by the Council's TÃÂkai Here partners, Taranaki WhÃÂnui ki te Upoko o te Ika and NgÃÂti Toa Rangatira. They have voting rights on Council committees, including committees of the whole, but not on the full Council. Since 2023 the pouiwi are:
Following a review in 2021 by former Local Government New Zealand chief executive Peter Winder, the council adopted a new committee structure. All committees apart from Te Kaunihera o PÃ Âneke Council and Unaunahi Ngaio Chief Executive Performance Review Committee include two mana whenua representatives (pouiwi), who are paid and have voting rights.
The council has created two local community boards under the provisions of Part 4 of the Local Government Act 2002, with members elected using a single transferable vote (STV) system or appointed by the council.
These are:
The settlement became the colonial capital and seat of government in 1865, replacing Auckland. Parliament officially sat in Wellington for the first time on 26 July 1865. During the last half of the nineteenth century, Wellington grew rapidly from 7,460 residents in 1867 to 49,344 by the end of the century.
In 1870, the Wellington City Corporation was formed, with former town board chairman Joe Dransfield being elected as its mayor. Wellington formally attained city status in 1881 when its non-MÃÂori population surpassed 20,000. The Municipal Corporations Act 1886 further ratified Wellington's status as a city, alongside Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and Nelson, retroactively recognising it to have been such since 16 September 1870.
The City of Wellington has subsumed many neighbouring boroughs including:
Wellington's local electoral wards were given MÃÂori names in 2018, after consultation with mana whenua.
In May 2021, the Wellington City Council voted 13âÂÂ2 to establish a MÃÂori ward, with the Te Whanganui-a-Tara MÃÂori ward first contested in the 2022 elections.
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and MÃÂori Wards and MÃÂori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing MÃÂori wards or constituencies. In September 2024, the council voted 13âÂÂ3 to affirm their decision to establish the MÃÂori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.
On 22 October 2024 the New Zealand government appointed Lindsay McKenzie as a Crown Observer to the council after the Council was forced to revise its 2023âÂÂ2024 Long Term Plan in response to a failed attempt to sell its airport shares. MP and former Wellington City councillor Tamatha Paul has accused the government's decision to appoint the Crown Observer as politically motivated.
The city council was legally headed by a town clerk, who was in charge of the council administration and operations, later renamed as chief executive officer in 1991. Holders of the office since 1842 are:
The Wellington City Council first adopted a coat of arms in 1878. This coat of arms had the description:
The Wellington City Corporation was granted an official coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1951, the blazon for which is:
Wellington City Council was also granted a badge by the College of Arms in 1963, with the heraldic description: <blockquote>A Roundel Azure thereon a Lymphad Or the sail argent charged with a Dolphin naiant Azure pennon and flags flying Argent each charged with a Cross Gules.</blockquote>
The flag of Wellington, adopted on 12 December 1962, incorporates the city's badge over a black cross on a gold field.
Wellington city has 57 officially defined suburbs; one can group them by the wards used to elect the city council. Some areas, while officially forming part of a larger suburb (or several suburbs), are considered by some to be separate communities. The officially defined suburbs include:
Within Lambton ward, the council's tourism agency has designated three inner-city "quarters", as marketing subdivisions to promote international and domestic tourism. They are:
The Wellington City Council owns and until May 2019 operated from a complex on Wakefield Street, with various extensions each representing a distinctive architectural period. The complex incorporates the Wellington Town Hall which opened in 1904, with the most recent extension completed in 1991 alongside the Wellington Central Library.
The Wakefield Street complex has been cleared of back office functions, and since 28 May 2019 will be closed completely for repairs and earthquake strengthening. In the interim, most of the council's central office staff are located in commercial premises at 113 The Terrace. The council operates two public service desks out of Johnsonville Library and Te Awe Library in the CBD. Due to repairs also being needed to the Wellington Central Library, and Capital E, all of the civic buildings on Civic Square are closed, except for the City Gallery.
The Wellington City Council owns or directly operates several companies.
The council is a part-owner of Wellington Airport, and has two representatives on the airport's board. Former Mayor Andy Foster was a member of the board from 2016 to 2022 and was criticised for poor attendance at board meetings. In 2022 he was replaced by incoming mayor Tory Whanau, who was also criticised for poor attendance.
The seven council-controlled organisations (CCOs) are
The council has a similar interest in the Wellington Regional Stadium Trust.
Proposed/earmarked future sister cities