Nick Leggett

Background

Leggett was born in Porirua City in 1979 and grew up in Whitby, Plimmerton, Papakowhai and Paremata.

Education

He was educated at Paremata School and Tawa College, and then studied at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a Bachelor in political science.

Career

He is the current Mayor of Porirua, and at the time of his election in October 2010 he was the youngest mayor in New Zealand. Leggett worked as a real estate agent, specialising in commercial and industrial sales. Leggett was first elected to Porirua City Council as a councillor in 1998 when he was 19.

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. At the local-body elections in October 2010, Leggett contested the Porirua mayoralty as one of nine candidates.

He was endorsed by the outgoing mayor of 12 years, Jenny Brash, as well as former mayor, John Burke. Leggett was successful with 5930 votes, his closest rival, incumbent deputy mayor Litea Ah Hoi, receiving 2973 votes.

When he was elected he became the youngest mayor in New Zealand at the time, although there have been younger mayors, including Norman Kirk, was 30 when elected mayor of Kaiapoi in 1953.

Leggett was re-elected mayor in 2013. Leggett served on the Porirua Community Trust from 2004 to 2007, and 2010 to 2013.

Achievements

• 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.

Membership

In 2013 he was elected a member of the Capital and Coast District Health Board.