Len Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Len Brown
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| 1st Mayor of Auckland | |
| In office 1 November 2010 – 8 October 2016 |
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| Deputy | Penny Hulse |
| Preceded by | Office created Himself (as Mayor of Manukau City) John Banks (as Mayor of Auckland City) Bob Harvey (as Mayor of Waitakere City) Andrew Williams (as Mayor of North Shore City) Calum Penrose (as Mayor of Papakura District) Penny Webster (as Mayor of Rodney District) Mark Ball (as Mayor of Franklin District) |
| Succeeded by | Phil Goff |
| Majority | 65,945 |
| Mayor of Manukau City | |
| In office October 2007 – 31 October 2010 |
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| Deputy | William Sio |
| Preceded by | Barry Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
| Majority | 14,777 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leonard Charles Brown
1 October 1956 Taumarunui, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Shirley Inglis |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Leonard Charles Brown (born 1 October 1956) is a New Zealand politician. He was the first mayor of the new, bigger Auckland "Super City". He won the election in 2010 and became Mayor of Auckland on 1 November 2010. He was re-elected in 2013. Before this, Brown was the mayor of Manukau City from 2007 to 2010.
Len Brown is married to Shirley Anne "Shan" Inglis. They have three daughters. As Mayor of Auckland, he strongly supported the City Rail Link project. He also helped create the city's first Unitary Plan, which guides how Auckland will grow.
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Early Life
Brown was born in Taumarunui, a small town in the middle of New Zealand's North Island. When he was seven, his family moved to Ōtara in South Auckland. He went to Mayfield Primary School, Papatoetoe Intermediate School, and De La Salle College.
He remembers his childhood fondly, describing it as "generous days." His life growing up was centered around his family, church, school, and community. His parents, Tom and Ngaire, believed strongly in fairness for everyone in society. They were also very active in their community. Even though he didn't grow up entirely in Auckland, his family often visited relatives there. His parents had moved to Taumarunui from South Auckland.
Len Brown worked as a Lawyer. He was a partner at the law firm Wynyard Wood. He also helped start the Howick Free Legal Service, which offered free legal advice. In 1990, he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal for his contributions.
Political Career
Len Brown first became a local politician in 1992. He was elected to the Manukau City Council. He served as a councilor until 2004. From 1998, he was also the leader of the Counties Manukau Health Council.
In 2004, Brown ran for mayor of Manukau City for the first time. He lost by a very small number of votes to the long-serving mayor, Sir Barry Curtis. Even though he had been connected to the New Zealand Labour Party since he was 17, Brown did not run in the 2005 national election. Instead, he went back to working as a lawyer.
Mayor of Manukau City
In 2006, Brown announced he would run for mayor of Manukau City again. The current mayor, Barry Curtis, decided not to run. Brown's main opponents were former Olympic runner Dick Quax and radio personality Willie Jackson. Brown left his law job in 2007 to focus completely on his campaign.
In August 2007, polls showed that both Quax and Brown were very close in popularity. Brown's campaign promised several things. These included keeping local taxes (rates) from going up too much, improving public transport, and working with young people in the area.
Brown won the election in October 2007 with more than 32,000 votes. His closest rival, Dick Quax, had less than 18,000 votes. Some people jokingly called his big win a 'Lenslide'. He officially became mayor on 26 October 2007.
In May 2008, Brown had a heart attack. This was due to a heart problem he didn't know he had. He had surgery and made a full recovery. He returned to his mayoral duties after a few months. His wife said the heart attack was a family health issue, not caused by stress.
Mayor of Auckland Campaign
In August 2009, Brown announced he would run to be the mayor of the new, combined Auckland "super-city". This new city was formed by joining several smaller councils. His campaign focused on improving public transport, keeping public assets owned by the community, protecting the environment, and helping the economy and community grow.
He won the 2010 Auckland mayoral election on 9 October 2010. He beat his main opponent, Auckland City mayor John Banks, by a large number of votes.
Mayor of Auckland
As Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown was a strong supporter of the City Rail Link. This project aimed to improve public transport by building an underground train line. In June 2013, the New Zealand government agreed to help pay for the project. Construction started in late 2015.
Brown was re-elected as mayor in 2013. He received 46.6% of the votes. The number of people who voted was quite low, at 34%. Brown suggested that future elections should use electronic voting and happen on one single day. In late 2015, he announced that he would not run for mayor again in the 2016 Auckland mayoral election. Phil Goff became the next mayor after that election.
Images for kids
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Len Brown in his official portrait.
See also
In Spanish: Len Brown para niños
