Richard Hills (politician)
Richard Hills is a Auckland Councillor who was elected at the 2016 Auckland elections. He is Auckland's youngest current councilor, the first openly gay Auckland Councillor and one of two Ngāpuhi iwi members.[1][2]
Political career
Hills is a member of the New Zealand Labour Party and at the 2011 general election, he stood in Hunua and was ranked 50th on the party list.[3] Regarded as a safe National seat, Hills finished second in Hunua behind incumbent Paul Hutchison.
At the 2013 Auckland elections, Hills was elected to the Kaipatiki Local Board and became its chairperson.
Hills stood in Northcote at the 2014 general election, finishing second behind incumbent Jonathan Coleman.[4][5] He was ranked 47th on the Labour party list.[6]
Auckland Council
| Years | Ward | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–present | North Shore | A Positive Voice for the Shore | |
At the 2016 Auckland elections, Hills stood for the Auckland Council, aiming to replace George Wood as a councilor for the North Shore ward. With 12,651 votes, he finished second after incumbent Chris Darby in the two-person ward and was elected. His majority over the third place candidate, Grant Gillon, was only 128.[1] Hills had campaigned alongside Darby during the campaign.[7]
Hills was also re-elected to the Kaipatiki Local Board but was automatically excluded following his election as a councilor.[7] Hills ranked first with 12,127 votes.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Richard Hills elected as final Auckland councillor". 14 October 2016 – via New Zealand Herald.
- ^ Bartlett, Hannah. "Richard Hills likely to be confirmed as first openly gay Auckland Councillor".
- ^ "Labour betting on fresh blood". 10 April 2011 – via New Zealand Herald.
- ^ "Labour tightens grip over major cities as divided Right fails to deliver". 10 October 2016.
- ^ Stanford, Jacqui. "Coleman claims Northcote".
- ^ "Labour releases candidate list for 2014 Election".
- ^ a b "North Shore ward welcomes new leaders".
- ^ "The new Kaipatiki Local Board".