20 Facts About Andy Foster

Andrew John Whitfield Foster was born on 21 December 1961 and is a New Zealand politician.

Andy Foster was elected to the New Zealand House of Representatives as a list MP for the New Zealand First party in the 2023 New Zealand general election.

Andy Foster was previously Mayor of Wellington from 2019 to 2022 and a Wellington City Councillor for nine terms from 1992 until 2019.

Andy Foster has described himself as a "Bluegreen", a conservative environmentalist.

Andy Foster was born on 21 December 1961 in Pembury, Kent, England, and moved with his family to New Zealand aged 5, originally settling in the Wellington suburbs of Ngaio and Khandallah before becoming a long-term Karori resident.

Andy Foster became a naturalised New Zealand citizen in 1978.

Andy Foster later studied at Victoria University of Wellington, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in history and economic history and a Bachelor of Commerce in business management.

When party colleagues were looking for people to stand in local government, Andy Foster accepted nomination and stood for election in the 1992 local elections for the Wellington City Council on a Citizens' ticket.

Andy Foster was successful winning a seat from the Western Ward.

Andy Foster held a seat in the Western Ward until 2004 when local electoral boundaries were re-drawn and he stood for the newly created Onslow-Western Ward and held a seat from there until 2019.

Andy Foster stood for Mayor of Wellington on four occasions; first in 2001, coming fourth, then in 2016 placing fifth.

Andy Foster announced his third campaign for the mayoralty at the 2019 local elections and gained endorsement from Sir Peter Jackson.

Andy Foster was the president, and is a life member, of TRAFINZ, which represents local authority views in New Zealand regarding road safety and traffic management.

In July 2021, Andy Foster received acclaim from colleagues typically referenced as his political adversaries for his decision to light up the exterior of the council-owned Michael Fowler Centre with the colours of the transgender flag following confirmation a group considered by some to be transgender-exclusionary would speak there.

In October 2021, Andy Foster expressed disagreement with the Sixth Labour Government's Three Waters reform programme, which proposes transferring the management of water utilities from local councils to four new entities.

In October 2022, Andy Foster became the second person in 36 years to hold the Wellington mayoralty for just one term.

Andy Foster was placed 18 on the party's list, too low to be elected.

On 5 September 2023, Andy Foster confirmed that he would be standing as New Zealand First's candidate in the Mana electorate during the 2023 general election.

Andy Foster initially denied he was running for the party two weeks earlier.

Andy Foster has been involved with the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary Trust, Karori Sports Club, and the Karori Brooklyn Community Trust.