His Worshipthe Honourable Andrew Little
Little in 2025
38th Mayor of Wellington
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 October 2025
Preceded by	Tory Whanau
Majority	34,522
35thLeader of the Opposition and 16thLeader of the Labour Party
In office 18 November 2014 – 1 August 2017
Prime Minister	John Key Bill English
Deputy	Annette King Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	David Cunliffe
Succeeded by	Jacinda Ardern
6thMinister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations
In office 26 October 2017 – 27 November 2023
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern Chris Hipkins
Preceded by	Chris Finlayson
Succeeded by	Paul Goldsmith
42ndMinister of Health
In office 6 November 2020 – 1 February 2023
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern Chris Hipkins
Preceded by	Chris Hipkins
Succeeded by	Ayesha Verrall
49thMinister of Justice
In office 26 October 2017 – 6 November 2020
Prime Minister	Jacinda Ardern
Preceded by	Amy Adams
Succeeded by	Kris Faafoi
33rdPresident of the Labour Party
In office 2 March 2009 – 2 April 2011
Vice President	Moira Coatsworth
Preceded by	Mike Williams
Succeeded by	Moira Coatsworth
Member of theNew Zealand Parliament for theLabourParty List
In office 26 November 2011 – 5 December 2023
Personal details
Born	Andrew James Little (1965-05-07)7 May 1965 (age 60) New Plymouth, New Zealand
Spouse	Leigh Fitzgerald ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	1
Alma mater	Victoria University of Wellington
Website	www.andrewlittle.nz

Andrew James Little (born 7 May 1965) is a New Zealand politician. He has served asmayor of Wellington, thecapital city of New Zealand, since 17 October 2025.

A lawyer and former trade union official, Little wasLeader of the Labour Party andLeader of the Opposition from 2014 to 2017 and a senior minister in theLabour governments led byJacinda Ardern andChris Hipkins from 2017 to 2023, including asMinister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations,Minister of Justice,Minister of Health andMinister of Defence.

Little was first elected as a Labour Party list MP in 2011, after serving asPresident of the Labour Party between 2009 and 2011. His political career followed a career in unionism, which included 11 years as the national secretary of theEngineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, New Zealand's largest union.

Little's term as Labour leader was characterised by low opinion polling results and punctuated by his resignation from the role less than two months before he was due to lead the party in the 2017 general election. Little's decision was described as "selfless" and instrumental in Labour's success under new leader Jacinda Ardern; in the following six years he served as a senior minister and was regarded as a "safe pair of hands" across twelve ministerial portfolios.^[1]

Following the Labour Government's defeat in the2023 election, Little declined to return to Parliament as a list MP, and returned to legal practice.

Born inNew Plymouth on 7 May 1965,^[2] Little was educated atNew Plymouth Boys' High School. His father was a devoutNational Party supporter and Little recalls delivering National pamphlets under his father's direction when he was younger.^[3] When he was 17, Little got his first job as a labourer digging the main cable trench for a new methanol plant inWaitara Valley as part of the "Think Big" project. During his time there he noticed that the contractor he was working for was deliberately using a less than adequate amount of concrete than the work required. He finished work there at the beginning of 1984 and left upon being accepted to enter university.^[4] He had also worked as a timber yard worker and in security.^[5]

In the 1980s Little studied law, philosophy andpublic policy atVictoria University of Wellington, where he became active in the campaign against New Zealand'sstudent loan scheme. He was elected president of theVictoria University of Wellington Students' Association and later served asNew Zealand Union of Students' Associations (NZUSA) president in 1988 and 1989.^[6]

After graduating Little took a job as a lawyer with the Engineers' Union (a forerunner of theEPMU), with his work includingAccident Compensation Corporation (ACC) andemployment law issues.^[7] In 1997 he was appointed the union's general counsel (chief lawyer). Two years later, he was appointed assistant national secretary, and was elected national secretary whenRex Jones stood down from the position in 2000.^[8]

In 2007 Little was ranked at number 40 on theNew Zealand Listener Power List.^[9]

Little became an important extra-parliamentary figure within the Labour Party and was one of the main advisors from the trade unions. Little was a representative on Labour's national council as Affiliates Vice-President, responsible for liaison between the Labour Party and affiliated trade unions.^[10] On 2 March 2009 it was announced that Little was elected unopposed as President of theNew Zealand Labour Party.^[11] He held that post until 2 April 2011.^[12]

Little stood for Parliament in the2011 general election. Despite a loss in theNew Plymouth electorate to theNational Party incumbentJonathan Young, he was elected as a list MP owing to his ranking of 15 on the Labour Party list.^[13][14] This was the highest rank given to a Labour candidate who was not an incumbent MP.

He took on the ACC shadow portfolio and gained profile during the National Party's restructuring of the organisation.^[7] Together withTrevor Mallard, he launched attacks against ACC MinisterJudith Collins, who eventually responded with issuing a defamation claim in May 2012. The affair resulted in the resignations of theAccident Compensation Corporation (ACC) chairman John Judge, and the ACC chief executive Ralph Stewart.^[15] In December 2012, Collins settled her defamation case against Little and Mallard following a hearing at theAuckland High Court.^[16]

In December 2013, Little introduced amember's bill in the ballot that, if passed, would create a new criminal offence ofcorporate manslaughter.^[17] The Crimes (Corporate Manslaughter) Amendment Bill was drafted in the wake of the 2010Pike River Mine disaster and theCTV Building collapse during the2011 Christchurch earthquake.^[18] The bill is modelled on the United Kingdom'sCorporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. At the time, Little stated the bill was needed because "the track record of prosecutions under theHealth and Safety Act is that they tend to focus on lower level failures because getting the evidence and securing the conviction are easier, but personal responsibility for fatalities goes unchecked."^[19] A 20123News poll found that seventy-four percent of respondents would like to see a charge of corporate manslaughter introduced.^[20] The Bill was eventually transferred to the name ofDavid Cunliffe but was not drawn before Cunliffe's retirement from Parliament in early 2017.^[21]

At the2014 election he again stood and lost in the New Plymouth electorate. Young was returned with a much increased margin, but this was partially explained by boundary changes.^[7][22] Little was elected as list MP because of his ranking of 11 on the Labour Party list.^[23]

Following Labour's defeat at the general election in September 2014,David Cunliffe resigned as leader of the Labour Party.^[24] Little announced his bid for the2014 Labour Party leadership election on 9 October 2014 and was nominated byPoto Williams andIain Lees-Galloway.^[25][26] He won the election, which was held on 18 November 2014, and defeatedGrant Robertson,David Parker, andNanaia Mahuta.^[27] In reporting on the election, some media focused on his trade union background.^[28]

As Leader of the Labour Party andLeader of the Opposition, Little sought to challenge the Government with a strong alternative narrative. In a 2015 conference speech he introduced a new "Kiwi dream" theme (theNew Zealand dream).^[28] In 2015 Labour introduced a new slogan, "Backing the Kiwi Dream".^[29] Little largely focused on issues and concerns such as rising house prices in urban areas, a 'brain drain', unemployment andjob security and the growing wage gap betweenbaby boomers andmillennials—the "Kiwi dream" narrative was particularly designed to engage young voters.^[30]

Little appointed long-serving Labour MPAnnette King as Labour's 'interim' deputy leader shortly after his election as leader. This appointment was made permanent in October 2015 afterJacinda Ardern (who had previously sought to be Robertson's deputy leader^[31]) was reportedly offered the role but turned it down.^[32] Robertson was appointed finance spokesperson and ranked third in the caucus in a bid to unify different groups within the party.^[33] For much of Little's leadership, key portfolios in theLittle shadow Cabinet were held by King (health),Phil Twyford (housing),Chris Hipkins (education), Ardern (justice and children) andCarmel Sepuloni (social development). Little reshuffled hisshadow cabinet in November 2015 (demoting David Cunliffe),^[34] December 2016 (after the retirements of Phil Goff and David Shearer)^[35] and March 2017 (in which Ardern was promoted to deputy leader).^[36]

Little was criticised by some for perceived poor performance in television interviews, his low profile and poorname recognition with the general public.^[37] ADominion Post assessment said "he has little charisma and a lack of new ideas" and criticised Labour's "bare platform".^[38] He was praised by political commentators early in his leadership for uniting the party caucus and averting the infighting that characterised David Cunliffe's tenure as leader, though at the expense of dropping many of the party's former policy proposals.^[37]

In October 2016 Labour floated the idea of a levy on employers who imported offshoreskilled labour rather than upskilled their domestic workers. Little responded to criticisms that it amounted to a "tax on immigrants", saying "If we want to make sure we've got the skills for the future ... for those employers who don't take on apprentices, don't invest in training, you can contribute a levy and that'll help to defray the cost of those who are doing the training".^[39] Little also criticised the number oftravel visas granted to semi-skilled workers, citing statistics. Kirk Hope, Chief executive ofBusiness New Zealand, criticised the proposal policy and warned that it would affect smaller businesses who are unable to recruit enough local workers.^[39]

Little was sued for defamation by Lani andEarl Hagaman after he made statements linking a contract awarded to their company with donations they had made to the National Party. In April 2017, a jury cleared him of some of the charges, and were unable to reach a verdict on others.^[40]

On 1 August 2017, Little resigned as Leader of the Labour Party due to the party's history of low results in polls, and was succeeded by deputy leaderJacinda Ardern.^[41] Little was later lauded by party supporters for "selflessly" putting aside his personal ambition to allow Ardern to lead the party, which saw a swift reversal of fortune for Labour and the opportunity to form a new government after the2017 general election withNew Zealand First and theGreen Party.^[42] Little served as Labour's justice spokesperson over the election period.^[43]

Little was a senior minister in the Sixth Labour Government led by Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins between 2017 and 2023. He held twelve portfolios during the government's term.^[44]

The Labour Party increased its share of the vote in the2017 election. Little was elected as a Cabinet Minister by the Labour Party caucus following Labour'sformation of a government withNew Zealand First and theGreens. In late October 2017, Little assumed several portfolios includingMinister of Justice,Minister for Courts, Minister Responsible for theGovernment Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and theNew Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), Minister forTreaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and Minister Responsible forPike River Re-entry.^[45]

Following the success of the pilotAlcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court (the AODTC) at reducing reoffending, in December 2017, Little announced that alcohol and drug courts would be rolled out nationwide.^[46] Two years later, he said the AODTC had proved effective, reducing reoffending by 23% up to two years after treatment.^[47] Following a negative evaluation by the Ministry of Justice, in March 2020, Little published a media release which claimed the AODTC was expensive to operate and needed modifications to "sustain reoffending gains over the long term".^[48] One more drug court has been established in Hamilton, but they have not been rolled out anywhere else.

On 20 November 2018, Little announced the creation of thePike River Recovery Agency to plan a manned re-entry of thePike River Mine in order to recover the bodies of the 29 miners who perished during thePike River Mine disaster in September 2010.^[49][50] On 19 April 2018, Little entered the Pike River mine portal with victims' family representatives Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse to demonstrate that a safe re-entry was possible. He also promised that the Government would re-enter the drift to recover evidence and the remains of deceased miners.^[51] Drift entry was achieved in 2019 but plans to recover the victims' bodies were abandoned in 2021.^[52][53]

As Justice Minister, Little announced plans in December 2017 to reduce the prison population by 30 per cent over the next 15 years.^[54] The prison population at the time was 10,394.^[55] Towards this goal, in May 2018, he announced the Government would repeal the contentious 'three strikes' law – theSentencing and Parole Reform Act 2010^[56] – which had been introduced by theprevious National Government.^[57] NZ First refused to back this proposal forcing Little to announce on 11 June 2018 that the coalition Government had abandoned the plan.^[58][59]

Little later voiced criticism of Australia's deportation ofNew Zealanders in Australia during a controversialAustralian Broadcasting Corporation documentary entitled "Don't Call Australia Home", that was released on 17 July 2018. Under changes to the AustralianMigration Act, any foreigners with a criminal record or who do not meet a "character test" are subject to deportation. Little remarked that Australia's deportation policy would damage the sibling relationship between the two countries.^[60] Little's remarks drew criticism from the AustralianAssistant Minister for Home AffairsAlex Hawke, who defended the deportations on law and order grounds and criticised Little for not urging New Zealand citizens to obey Australian law.^[61][62] In response, Little criticised Australia's deportation laws for lacking "humanitarian ideals" and described the removal of New Zealand citizens who identified as Australian residents as a human rights violation.^[63] In response, the AustralianMinister for Home AffairsPeter Dutton defended his government's deportation policy and called on Little to reflect "a little more" on theTrans-Tasman relationship. Little countered by expressing concern about what he perceived as a growing "venality" in Australia's treatment of foreigners.^[64]

On 24 July 2018, Little rejected a call by theUnited Nations committee on women's rights for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand'sFamily Court system, saying the New Zealand Government already has a fair idea of what the problems were. Little had already ordered a Ministerial Review of the Family Court.^[65]

After theChristchurch mosque shootings in March 2019, Little toldRadio New Zealand, “I have given authority to the agencies to do intrusive activities under warrant, the number of those (warrants) I’m not at liberty to disclose". He said that the intelligence services usually put 30 to 40 people under monitoring at a time. Although more people than usual were being monitored, he was not willing to reveal how many. He also stated that the operations could be anything from physical surveillance to watching telecommunications activity.^[66]

On 5 August 2019, as Justice Minister, Little announced abortion law reform legislation that would permitabortion without restrictions for the first 20 weeks of a woman's pregnancy. While later-term abortions will still require testing by medical experts, Little announced that abortion would also be removed from theCrimes Act 1961. Other changes include allowing women to self-refer to an abortion service, ensuring that health practitioners advise women about counselling services, establishing safe areas around abortion facilities, and ensuring that conscientious objecting doctors inform women about their stance and alternative services.^[67][68][69] Labour had negotiated with New Zealand First cabinet ministerTracey Martin for several months to ensure support for the legislation. Though Martin ruled out a referendum, she was overruled by NZ First party leaderWinston Peters, who demanded a binding referendum. Little rejected Peters' call for a referendum, stating that the Government would seek the support of MPs from all parties to pass the legislation.^[70] On 18 March 2020, he voted for the bill at its third reading, and it became law as theAbortion Legislation Act 2020.^[71]

On 22 July 2020, Little was appointedMinister for Workplace Relations and Safety following the resignation ofIain Lees-Galloway due to an affair with one of his staff members.^[72]

During the2020 New Zealand general election held on 17 October 2020, Little was re-elected on the Labour Party list.^[73] In early November, Little was named asMinister of Health and also retained his ministerial portfolios for the Government Communications Security Bureau, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, and Pike River Re-entry.^[74] He was additionally appointed Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into the Terrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques after that report was published in December 2020.^[75]

On 20 July 2021, Little, in his capacity as Minister in charge of theGovernment Communications Security Bureau, confirmed that the spy agency had established links between Chinese state-sponsored actors known as "Advanced Persistent Threat 40" (APT40) and malicious cyber activity in New Zealand. In addition, Little confirmed that New Zealand was joining other Western governments including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union in condemning theChinese Ministry of State Security and other Chinese state-sponsored actors for their involvement in the2021 Microsoft Exchange Server data breach.^[76][77] In response, the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand rejected the New Zealand Government's claims, claiming that China was a staunch defender of cybersecurity and firmly opposed all forms of cyber attacks and crimes.^[78]

In mid-June 2022, Little in his capacity as Health Minister acknowledged that the country's health system was under strain due to a manpower shortage and the effects of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu on hospitals and health clinics. However, he denied that health services were facing a crisis. In response, the National Party's health spokespersonShane Reti accused Little of denying that New Zealand's healthcare system was facing a crisis.^[79] Little's remarks were criticised by various unidentified health workers, who reported that significant staff shortages and hospital demand in response to COVID-19 and the seasonal flu were straining hospital resources.^[80] In early July 2022, the Association of General Surgeons issued an open letter to Little stating that the staffing shortage was undermining the ability of doctors to deliver care to patients.^[81]

In late October 2022, Little in his capacity as Minister ofTreaty of Waitangi negotiations apologised to theTaranaki–basedMāoriiwi (tribe)Ngāti Maru on behalf of the New Zealand Crown for land confiscations that occurred following theNew Zealand Wars. Though the tribe had not taken part in the fighting, most of their land had been confiscated by the Crown.^[82]

During a cabinet shuffle that occurred on 31 January 2023, Little was succeeded as Health Minister byAyesha Verrall. Little also replacedPeeni Henare asMinister of Defence. Prime MinisterChris Hipkins, who succeededJacinda Ardern earlier in the month, stated that Little had supported "any decision made about the portfolio" and added that he had full confidence in Little.^[83][84] Little also retained his ministerial portfolios for the GCSB, NZSIS, Public Service, Treaty of Waitangi negotiations and Lead Coordination Minister for the Government's Response to the Royal Commission's Report into theTerrorist Attack on the Christchurch Mosques.^[83]

On 21 June 2023, following the resignation ofMichael Wood from cabinet, Little gained theImmigration portfolio.^[85]

Little contested the2023 election as a list-only candidate. Following Labour's loss in the 2023 election, Little chose to retire from politics altogether, officially resigning his seat on 5 December 2023.^[86][87] Little said his "one regret" was not completing reforms to New Zealand's national security sector proposed after the2019 Christchurch mosque attacks.^[88]

On the same day as his official resignation, Little was granted retention of the titleThe Honourable in recognition of his term as a member of theExecutive Council.^[89] In March 2024, he was announced as an employment and treaty law consultant for Wellington-based law firm Gibson Sheat.^[90][91]

Since leaving Parliament, Little has continued to comment publicly on political issues, criticising the newly electedcoalition government'sTreaty of Waitangi policies in an op-ed forNewsroom^[92] and expressing support for theAUKUS security pact.^[93] Little's support for AUKUS differs from the Labour Party, which has since 2024 expressed opposition to New Zealand's involvement in the security pact.^[94]

On 16 April 2025, Andrew Little formally announced that he is running formayor of Wellington in the2025 Wellington City mayoral election,^[95] afterThe Post reported earlier that month that he was considering running for mayor.^[96] On 28 April, Little secured the Wellington Labour Local Body Committee's backing to contest the 2025 mayoral election as Labour's candidate.^[97] On 29 April, the incumbent mayorTory Whanau pulled out of the mayoral race and endorsed Little.^[98]

In mid-May 2025, Little expressed disagreement with theWellington City Council's Golden Mile mayoral pedestrianisation project, opining that the Council should not sign new contracts until after the Wellington mayoral election scheduled for 11 October. In response, Mayor Whanau said that delaying the project would increase costs and affect rates.^[99] While campaigning, Little identified saving the historically significantBegonia House andKhandallah Pool, and completing theKarori Event Centre as his key mayoral priorities.^[100]

Little was successful, winning the mayoralty by a large margin.^[101]

Little appointed Labour councillorBen McNulty as deputy mayor.^[102]

In 2009, Little was diagnosed with early-stageprostate cancer, which was successfully treated.^[103]

Little lives inIsland Bay,Wellington with his wife Leigh and their son.^[7][104]

• Shadow Cabinet of Andrew Little
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