Former Ōhāriu MP Greg O’Connor has been elected unopposed to Wellington City Council after no other candidates entered the Takapū/Northern General Ward by-election.
Nominations closed at noon on Thursday 1 October, with O’Connor the only nomination received for the vacant council seat.
The vacancy followed the death of councillor Tony Randle in August.
O’Connor will be sworn in as a Wellington city councillor at the council meeting at 9.30am on Thursday 22 October.
His election to the council came on the same day the 54th Parliament was dissolved ahead of the general election.
“In a very serendipitous moment, immediately following the ceremonial dissolution of the 54th Parliament I was advised by the Wellington City Council that from tomorrow I will be the next councillor for the Takapū/Northern General Ward,” O’Connor said.
“I look forward to continuing to serve the good folk of Takapū Northern Ward.”
O’Connor also paid tribute to Randle, whose death created the council vacancy.
O’Connor was first elected as the Labour MP for Ōhāriu in 2017 and represented the electorate through the 52nd, 53rd and 54th Parliaments. He stood for the council seat as an independent candidate.
The Takapū/Northern General Ward covers Wellington’s northern suburbs, including Tawa, Johnsonville, Newlands, Churton Park, Paparangi, Woodridge, Glenside, Grenada Village, Grenada North, Takapū Valley, Horokiwi and Ōhāriu.
Greg O’Connor will serve for the remainder of the 2025–2028 Wellington City Council term.
