NEW ZEALAND

Female candidate for Mayor of Auckland to champion Māori and Pacific voices

February 2025: Kerrin Leoni, a first-time councillor and member of the New Zealand Labour Party, has confirmed that she will be running for Mayor of Auckland in October 2025. On her social media platforms, she wrote that no woman has governed Auckland since it became a Super City in 2010. She continued to say that the mayorship of Auckland was the second most important political job in New Zealand and that it should be governed with a new perspective. “That is why I believe it’s time for fresh leadership in Auckland. I am a strong wāhine Māori Irish Italian committed to seeing our city thrive for all Aucklanders.”

 

Recently Kerrin Leoni has become a vocal opponent of the so-called Treaty Principles Bill, a document supported by the right-wing ACT New Zealand party and aimed to newly define the Treaty of Waitangi, which in 1840 established the relationship between New Zealand’s Indigenous Māori population and the British settlers. Supporters of the document claim that the current principles have distorted the original intent of the treaty and created different rights for some New Zealanders, resulting in Māori having different political and legal rights and privileges compared with non-Māori.

 

In an interview with blogger Nick Rockel, Kerrin Leoni said she was standing as an independent, which she thought had some benefit in the country’s polarised political system. Kerrin talked about the need for a more liveable, sustainable city and the important things to people, such as transport, the cost of living, and feeling safe in their community. She said there had been a lot of focus on saving money, which is important, but that as the city goes into the future, we need to design the city so that people want to stay in Auckland and retain that talent. “I am especially focused on the need for a long-term infrastructure plan for the city that avoids flooding and other issues.”

 

Kerrin Leoni has a Masters Degree in Economics and International Politics from King's College in London. She also spent ten years in London running a consultancy. It is expected that Auckland’s current Mayor, Wayne Brown, will be seeking a second term and that Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson may also run for mayor in October 2025.

​​

BACK TO TOP

​

AUSTRALIA

Brisbane helps female business owners to expand and flourish

September 2024: The Australian City of Brisbane (Queensland), which describes itself as the most small-business-friendly city in Australia, has set aside AUS$250,000 to help women-led businesses expand. The 2024 Lord Mayor’s Women in Business Grants programme offers businesswomen up to $5,000 to help fund training, equipment and services to boost their business performance. Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner explained that more than a third of all Brisbane businesses are led by women. “We want to help that number grow. The city’s Women in Business Grant programme is about giving businesses led by women the tools they need to start, run and grow.”

 

According to Australia’s Office of the Small Business Ombudsman, women-owned, women-led enterprises are increasing faster than male-owned businesses. Research conducted in 2023 found the economic opportunity for Australia by boosting the number of female entrepreneurs to parity with men would be worth between $71 billion and $135 billion to the nation’s economy.

 

Brisbane’s Deputy Mayor Krista Adams detailed that businesswomen have been telling her that the city’s programme is making it easier for women to do business in Brisbane. “We’re proud to support and empower Brisbane businesswomen who are driving the growth of Brisbane’s economy, creating jobs and making a big impact.

 

Beyond financial support, all recipients benefit from a 12-month development programme delivered by the Brisbane Business Hub and supported by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia to boost business connections and leadership skills.

 

Barbara Spooner, who received a grant in 2021, invested in new machinery to increase production capacity for her cycling apparel business ‘Birds on Bikes’. The support has contributed to the opening of her first workshop in Brisbane, as well as securing a wholesale distribution deal across Australia and New Zealand.

 

“Loneliness is one of the big challenges for female founders,” she said. “Being recognised with the grant three years ago gave me more confidence in my ability. “The money is nice, but the community of other grant recipients I have met has helped me realise I’m not the only one coming up against challenges and issues.

 

Source: Inside Local Government

 

BACK TO TOP

​​​

On other news pages: North American women mayors | South American women mayors | European women mayors | Mayors from the Middle East | Asian women mayors | Australasia women mayors | African women Mayors |

​

Please email us with any questions or suggestions you may have

​