Nick Leggett
{{Short description|New Zealand politician (born 1979)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Nick Leggett
|image = Nick Leggett in 2012 (cropped).jpg
|caption = Leggett in 2012
|order =
|office = 4th Mayor of Porirua
|term_start = 2010
|term_end = 2016
|predecessor = Jenny Brash
|successor = Mike Tana
|office2 =
|term_start2 =
|term_end2 =
|predecessor2 =
|successor2 =
|birth_name = Nicholas Oliver Leggett
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1979}}
|birth_place = Porirua, New Zealand
|party = National (2016–present){{cite news |last=Burr |first=Lloyd |date=30 November 2016 |title=Nick Leggett jumps ship to National |url=http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/nick-leggett-jumps-ship-to-national-2016113015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161130111241/http://www.newshub.co.nz/politics/nick-leggett-jumps-ship-to-national-2016113015 |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 November 2016 |access-date=30 November 2016 }}
Independent (2016)
Labour (1994–2016)
|spouse = {{marriage|Emily Pita|2014}}
|relations =
|children =
}}
Nicholas Oliver Leggett (born 1979) is a former New Zealand politician and, as of 2016, a member of the New Zealand National Party. He was Mayor of Porirua from 2010 until 2016, and at the time of his election in October 2010, he was the youngest mayor in New Zealand.
Early life
Leggett was born in Porirua City in 1979 and grew up in Whitby, Plimmerton, Papakowhai, and Paremata. He was educated at Paremata School and Tawa College, and then studied at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a BA in political science.{{cite web |title=About Nick |url=http://www.nickleggett.co.nz/about |publisher=Nick Leggett |access-date=29 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603145255/http://www.nickleggett.co.nz/about |archive-date=3 June 2010 |df=dmy-all }}
Local-body politics
Leggett was first elected to Porirua City Council as a councillor in 1998, when he was 19. He wanted to achieve better representation of younger people on council, as 75 per cent of the population were under 45 but nobody on council was.{{cite news|last=Broun |first=Britton |title=Porirua's new mayor New Zealand's youngest|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/local-elections-2010/4217386/Poriruas-new-mayor-New-Zealands-youngest |access-date=29 October 2010 |work=The Dominion Post |date=11 October 2010 }} He was re-elected in 2001, but did not stand for election in 2004. In 2007, he was elected in the Porirua Northern Ward, coming second.{{cite web|title=Porirua City Council – Northern Ward|url=http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2007/elections/porirua-city-council-northern-ward |publisher=Elections2010.co.nz|access-date=29 October 2010 }}
At the local-body elections in October 2010, Leggett contested the Porirua mayoralty as one of nine candidates. He was then working as a real estate agent, specialising in commercial and industrial sales.{{cite news|last=Gilchrist |first=Jennifer |title=Nine contenders compete in Porirua mayoral race |url=http://www.newswire.co.nz/2010/07/porirua-mayoral/|access-date=29 October 2010 |work=Newswire.co.nz |date=3 July 2010}}
Leggett was endorsed by the outgoing mayor of 12 years, Jenny Brash, as well as former mayor, John Burke.{{cite news|title=Open race for mayoralty of Porirua |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/local-elections-2010/58783/open-race-for-mayoralty-of-porirua |access-date=29 October 2010 |work=Radio NZ |date=7 October 2010}}{{cite news|title=New mayor for Porirua|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/local-elections-2010/59104/new-mayor-for-porirua |access-date=29 October 2010|work=Radio NZ |date=10 October 2010 }} Leggett was successful with 5930 votes, his closest rival, incumbent deputy mayor Litea Ah Hoi, receiving 2973 votes.{{cite web |title=Porirua City Mayor |url= http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/elections/porirua-city-mayor |publisher=Elections 2010 |access-date=29 October 2010}} When he was elected, he became the youngest mayor in New Zealand at the time (although there have been younger mayors, including Norman Kirk, who was 30 when elected mayor of Kaiapoi in 1953). Leggett was re-elected Porirua mayor in 2013 with 9252 votes (76%).{{cite news | url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-elections-2013/9276587/Leggett-wins-Porirua-race | title=Leggett wins Porirua race | date=12 October 2013 | work=The Dominion Post | access-date=3 April 2015 | first=Kerry | last=McBride }}
Leggett served on the Porirua Community Trust from 2004 to 2007 and 2010 to 2013.{{cite web|title=Porirua Community Trust Ward 1|url=http://www.elections2010.co.nz/2010/elections/porirua-community-trust-ward-1 |publisher=Elections NZ |access-date=29 October 2010 }} In 2013, he was elected a member of the Capital and Coast District Health Board.{{cite news | url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/9278769/Poriruas-Leggett-wins-spot-on-CCDHB | title=Porirua's Leggett wins spot on CCDHB | date=14 October 2013 | work=The Dominion Post | access-date=3 April 2015 | first=Kerry | last=McBride }} Leggett enjoyed high approval ratings during his two terms as Porirua Mayor.{{cite news
| author = Kris Dando
| title = Porirua City councillors: The good, the bad, the strugglers
| work= DomPost
| date = 17 March 2015
| url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/kapi-mana-news/67422137/porirua-city-councillors-the-good-the-bad-the-strugglers
| access-date = 23 September 2016
}}
Although a member of the New Zealand Labour Party throughout his career in local body politics,{{cite news| author = Kris Dando| title = Leggett as Labour president?| quote = Leggett, a well-known Labour supporter and campaigner| work= Stuff | date = 23 September 2014| url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10531663/Leggett-as-Labour-president| access-date = 12 June 2016}} Leggett stood as an independent candidate.{{cite news| author = David Cohen| title = The Listener Interview: Mayor Nick Leggett| date = 15 January 2013| url = http://www.listener.co.nz/current-affairs/politics/interview-mayor-nick-leggett/| access-date = 23 September 2016}}
= Campaign to be Mayor of Wellington =
In April 2016, he resigned from the Labour Party to run for Mayor of Wellington as an independent; Justin Lester had already been selected as the official Labour candidate and it is against party rules for members to compete against officially endorsed candidates.{{cite news| author = Talia Shadwell and Tommy Livingston| title = Capital 'stalled at the lights', says Nick Leggett as he launches mayoralty bid| quote = Leggett will stand as an independent after resigning from the Labour Party | work= The Dominion Post (Wellington)| date = 10 April 2016| url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/78741303/Capital-stalled-at-the-lights-says-Nick-Leggett-as-he-launches-mayoralty-bid| access-date = 12 June 2016 }} Central to his launch campaign speech was a desire to put an end to the "bickering" and "palace politics" holding the Wellington City Council back and to facilitate a new Sports Museum and Virtual Reality Centre for Wellington.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/81823507/Nick-Leggett-wants-sports-museum-and-virtual-reality-complex-in-Wellington |title=Nick Leggett wants sports museum and 'virtual reality complex' in Wellington |website=Stuff.co.nz |date=2016-07-06 |access-date=2016-07-24}} In August 2016, Labour Leader Andrew Little accused Leggett of being a "right-winger", alleging that his campaign manager for the Wellington Mayoral election was a well-known ACT Party figure.{{cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11690222 |title=Labour leader Andrew Little bans MPs from attending 'right-wingers' mayoral forum |website=The New Zealand Herald |date=9 August 2016 |access-date=9 August 2016}} Leggett came second in the mayoral race, finishing about 6,000 votes behind Lester.{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/85111117/justin-lester-elected-new-mayor-of-wellington|title=Justin Lester elected new mayor of Wellington|author=Forbes, Michael|date=8 October 2016|access-date=10 October 2016}} Leggett then changed allegiance to the National Party later that year citing ideological differences with Labour's leadership and announced he intended to seek the National candidacy for the Mana electorate in 2017.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11758229 |title=Labour Moving Too Far Left for Leggett |work=The New Zealand Herald |author=Rachel Smalley |date=1 December 2016 |access-date=1 December 2016}} Leggett later abandoned his plans to run for Parliament but stated he would still campaign for the National Party in the area.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11815787 |title=Former Porirua Mayor and Labour exile Nick Leggett scraps plans to run for Parliament |work=The New Zealand Herald |author=Isaac Davison |date=10 March 2017 |access-date=25 March 2017}}
When he contested the Wellington mayoralty in 2016, Leggett moved to Johnsonville.{{cite news
| author = Tom Hunt
| title = Porirua's Mayor ups sticks to contest for Wellington
| quote = Wellington mayoral candidate Nick Leggett is moving house pictured here at his new house in Johnsonville with wife Emily Leggett.
| work= Dompost
| date = 3 June 2016
| url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/80717348/Poriruas-Mayor-ups-sticks-to-contest-for-Wellington
| access-date = 12 June 2016
}}
Professional career after politics
In 2017 the Leggetts moved back to Porirua; buying a house in Papakowhai. Leggett was then a business consultant.{{cite web|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/89479316/Nick-Leggett-leaves-Wellington-and-moves-back-to-Porirua-for-property-not-politics |title= Nick Leggett leaves Wellington and moves back to Porirua for property not politics |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) |date= 16 February 2017}}
In 2018 Leggett was the executive director of the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council.{{cite web|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/105613248/beers-no-more-wellington-police-cracking-down-on-drinking-in-bowling-clubs |title= Wellington police cracking down on drinking in bowling clubs (see photo of Leggett) |publisher= Stuff (Fairfax) |date= 20 July 2018}}
In October 2018 Leggett was appointed the CEO of Transporting New Zealand,{{Cite web|url=https://transporttalk.co.nz/news/rtf-appoints-nick-leggett-ceo|title=RTF appoints Nick Leggett as CEO|first=Nigel|last=Moffiet|date=11 October 2018}} a lobby group which promotes and the interests of the trucking road freight industry.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rtf.nz/about/road-transport-forum/|title=About | Road Transport Forum RTF | NZ Trucking National Body}} Leggett left Transporting New Zealand to become CEO of Infrastructure New Zealand in 2023,{{Cite web |last=Zealand |first=Transporting New |date=2023-04-04 |title=Transporting New Zealand CEO shifts to Infrastructure New Zealand |url=https://www.transporting.nz/press-releases/transporting-new-zealand-ceo-shifts-to-infrastructure-new-zealand |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand Inc |language=en-US}} and was appointed Chair of Wellington Water the same year.{{Cite web |title=Interim Wellington Water Chair appointed |url=https://www.wellingtonwater.co.nz/about-us/news-and-media/news-and-media-2/interim-wellington-water-chair-appointed |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=Wellington Water |language=en}}
Personal life
Nick Leggett married Emily Pita in 2014; they have a son.{{cite news | url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/10258613/Mayor-to-leg-it-before-wedding-day | title=Mayor to leg-it before wedding day | date=12 July 2014 | work=The Dominion Post | access-date=3 April 2015 | first=Tessa | last=Johnstone }} In early 2011, Leggett underwent a lap band operation to combat issues surrounding obesity, and he subsequently reduced his weight from 110 kg to 79 kg.{{cite journal | first=Aroha | last=Awarau |url=http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/your-stories/weekly-people/mayor-nick-legget-loses-30kg-and-gains-love/ |title=Mayor Nick Legget loses 30kg and gains love |journal=New Zealand Woman's Weekly | date=23 August 2013 |access-date=2 April 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{twitter|Nickoleggett}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before=Jenny Brash}}
{{s-ttl | title=Mayor of Porirua|years= 2010–2016}}
{{s-aft | after=Mike Tana}}
{{end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leggett, Nick}}
Category:People educated at Tawa College
Category:Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians