Len Brown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Len Brown
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| 1st Mayor of Auckland | |
| In office October 2010 – 14 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 former mayor of Auckland, New Zealand. He was the first person to lead the Auckland Council after the city's different areas joined together to form a "Super City" in 2010. He won the election on 9 October 2010 and became the Mayor of Auckland on 1 November 2010. He was re-elected in 2013.
Before becoming Mayor of Auckland, Brown was the mayor of Manukau City from October 2007 until 2010. He is married to Shirley Anne "Shan" Inglis and has three daughters. As Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown strongly supported the City Rail Link project and helped create the city's first Unitary Plan, which guides how Auckland develops.
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Early Life and Education
Len Brown was born in Taumarunui, a small town in the middle of New Zealand's North Island. When he was seven years old, 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 in Taumarunui as a happy time. His family life, church, school, and community were very important to him. His parents, Tom and Ngaire, believed strongly in fairness for everyone and were active in their community. Even though he grew up mostly in Auckland, his family often visited relatives there, as his parents had originally moved from South Auckland.
Len Brown became a Lawyer. He was a partner at a law firm called Wynyard Wood and helped start the Howick Free Legal Service, which offered legal help for free. In 1990, he received the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal for his contributions.
Political Journey
Len Brown began his political career when he was elected to the Manukau City Council in 1992. He served as a councilor until 2004. He also chaired the Counties Manukau Health Council starting in 1998.
In 2004, he ran for mayor of Manukau City for the first time. He lost by a small number of votes to the long-serving mayor, Sir Barry Curtis. Even though he had been part of the New Zealand Labour Party since he was 17, Brown decided not to run in the 2005 general election and returned to his law work.
Mayor of Manukau City
In 2006, Len Brown announced he would run for mayor of Manukau City again, as Barry Curtis was not seeking re-election. Brown left his law firm in 2007 to focus completely on his campaign. His main goals included keeping local taxes (rates) from rising too much, improving public transport, and helping young people in the area.
Brown won the election in October 2007 with over 32,000 votes. He was sworn in as Mayor of Manukau City on 26 October 2007.
In May 2008, he experienced a health issue. It was caused by a heart problem he didn't know he had. He had surgery and made a full recovery, returning to his mayoral duties after a few months.
Mayor of Auckland Campaign
In August 2009, Brown announced he would run for mayor of the new combined Auckland "super-city" in the 2010 Auckland mayoral election. His campaign focused on improving public transport, keeping public services owned by the community, protecting the environment, and helping the economy and community grow.
He won the election on 9 October 2010, beating his main opponent, Auckland City mayor John Banks, by a large number of votes.
Council Expenses
In June 2010, there were questions about some of Len Brown's spending using his council credit card and other expense claims. These included some personal items. An investigation by the Auckland Council later found that he had not used council money for personal items related to a specific situation that had been discussed. The report did note that he had received some undisclosed upgrades from hotels.
Mayor of Auckland
As Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown was a strong supporter of the proposed City Rail Link. This project aimed to make public transport much better in the city. In June 2013, the New Zealand government agreed to help pay for the rail project, and construction started in late 2015.
Brown was re-elected as mayor in 2013. The number of people who voted in that election was quite low. In response, Brown suggested that future elections should include electronic voting and happen on a single day, instead of over several weeks. 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's official portrait.
See also
In Spanish: Len Brown para niños
