Kerrin Leoni | |
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Whau ward Councillor | |
Assumed office 2022 | |
Preceded by | Tracy Mulholland |
Personal details | |
Born | 1979 or 1980 (age 43–44) |
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater | King's College London |
Kerrin Leoni is a New Zealand politician who is an Auckland Councillor. In 2022, Leoni was elected as the Whau ward councillor.
Leoni is of Māori ( Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāi Takoto, and Ngāti Kurī) and European (Italian and Irish) descent. [1] Leoni has a master's degree, completed in 2007, from Auckland University of Technology. Her thesis was on young Māori children leaving foster care in New Zealand. [2] Leoni spent 10 years of her life living in London, where she ran a contracting business and was a member of the cultural group Ngāti Rānana. [3] [4] She returned to New Zealand in the mid-2010s. [3]
Years | Ward | Affiliation | |
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2022–present | Whau | Labour |
Leoni was elected to the Waitematā Local Board in 2019 on the City Vision ticket. She served as deputy chair for the first half of the term. [5] On 23 February 2020, Leoni was selected as Labour's candidate for the Waikato electorate for the 2020 election, [6] officially launching her campaign in August. [3] Despite a strong pro-Labour swing, Leoni lost to the incumbent National MP Tim van de Molen. [7] Her list placement of 66th was not high enough to enter parliament.
In the 2022 local body elections, Leoni was elected as a councillor for the Whau ward, after narrowly winning the election from the incumbent councillor Tracy Mulholland. Leoni is the first female Māori councillor to be elected to the Auckland Council. [8] [9]