Andrew Judd

Andrew Judd
26th Mayor of New Plymouth
In office 26 October 2013 – 25 October 2016
Deputy	Heather Dodunski
Preceded by	Harry Duynhoven
Succeeded by	Neil Holdom
Majority	9,206
Councillor for New Plymouth District
In office 2010–2013
Personal details
Political party	Māori Party

Andrew Judd is a New Zealand local government politician and activist. He won the mayoralty of New Plymouth from one-term incumbent Harry Duynhoven with a resounding 9,206 vote majority in 2013 and served one term before announcing he would not stand again in 2016.

In 2014 Judd caused controversy when he and his council supported the establishment of a special Māori ward in New Plymouth in a move intended to increase Māori representation, lift Iwi participation in council decision-making and fulfill Treaty of Waitangi obligations. Additionally, Judd also called for all councils in New Zealand to be half-Māori. The proposals were widely criticised by politicians and the media, with New Zealand First leader Winston Peters calling arguments for the ward "childish nonsense" and right-wing media personality Mike Hosking labelling Judd "completely out of touch with middle New Zealand". In the months following a publicly-initiated referendum on the creation of a Māori ward, which Judd lost in a landslide, the Mayor spoke to media about "a man in a Nazi uniform" coming to see him, getting removed as a patron of a club, being abused walking down the street in a Santa parade and being spat on whilst out with family at a local supermarket. Judd, a New Zealand European, labels himself a "recovering racist".

However, Judd gained the admiration and recognition of notable political figures, including MP Marama Fox who called for his critics to apologise in a general debate speech before parliament. Support for Judd also flowed on social media, with a Facebook group named "Andrew Judd Fan Club" reaching 10,500 members.

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