Several Wellington City Councillors are calling for mayor Tory Whanau to resign after she admitted to having a problem with alcohol.
Whanau recently admitted she has a problem with alcohol and is seeking help after another drunken incident at an inner-city bar two weeks ago.
The mayor told Newshub in a statement she's "not a career politician" and leadership positions in public office are "not built for regular people who may have struggles with addiction, mental ill health, or any other illness that has stigma attached".
She said she is flawed but cares deeply about the city and is seeking help.
There has been an outpouring of support for Whanau following her admission, but some are also questioning whether she's up for the top job.
Councillor Nicola Young said the mayor's admission isn't a surprise and she needs to "walk away" and focus on her health.
"I think it's very sad for her. Alcoholism is a pernicious disease but I think more importantly Wellington is in a very precarious position and we need strong stable leadership and I don't think she is capable of providing that," Young told Newshub on Thursday.
"I don't think she can stay on. I think she needs to look after herself. Her health is the most important thing for her and she needs to walk away from this and focus. It's not easy to overcome alcoholism and I think she needs to walk away."
It was a stance shared by councillor Tony Randle who said while her admission helps to explain some things, it's a "major distraction".
"It helps explain some of the distance we've seen from her in the last couple of months, the last couple of weeks especially," Randle said.
"Today we are going to have yet another big decision where they're going to convert 2300 unrestricted car parks around Newtown Hospital – parks that are used by shift workers that the majority have said this is not going to work – and yet we are talking about Tory Whanau," he added.
Randle said he still has a question mark over whether it's sustainable for Whanau to stay on as mayor.
Councillor Ray Chung also voiced concerns about Whanau's ability to stay in the top job, saying she should probably consider resigning for the good of the city.
"It's unfortunate but we've got to keep the city going and it wasn't working. People haven't been turning up for meetings, it's just terrible. We had a meeting last week where we could barely get a quorum because people didn't turn up," Chung said.
"We need leadership and we need to drive these problems through otherwise the city fails."
Chung said he didn't think it was sustainable for her to stay in the job but stopped short of calling for her to resign.
"She's going to have to take some time off, she's going to have to take professional help. We are right at the beginning of the long-term plan so we need people here all the time.
"I don't like to tell people what they need to do but I think for the good of the city she should probably consider it [resigning]."
But not everyone thought Whanau should step down. Councillor Rebecca Matthews said it was incredibly brave of her to admit her problem, and suggested alcohol issues are probably more common in those types of roles than people think.
"She absolutely has my support. She's reached out for the help she needs and I think she's been a very good mayor and being honest about the challenges of the job and pressure she's under will resonate with a lot of people."
Matthews said she believes "we can move on very positively".
"I think it's really unhelpful for people to kick someone when they're a little bit down. What I want to do is give my support to the mayor and I think Wellingtonians will expect us to do that and to behave like decent human beings to each other."
She also suggested there are some people "who will do anything to try to bring someone down who they never supported in the first place".
"I just think that's not good behaviour to do that when someone has admitted they have a problem and they want help."
It was a view shared by former Wellington mayor Justin Lester who said Whanau is doing a great job and is "very popular with Wellingtonians".
"Tory is in a very complex role. She's doing a great job of it though, I think she's a wonderful ambassador for Wellington, she's getting out there and she's pushing Wellington's case," Lester told Newshub.
"It is a stressful job though and there is a lot of public pressure it's really hard when every time you go out people are trying to film your every move, so she's got to be careful, she's acknowledged that and she wants to improve."
Lester also accused the councillors calling for her resignation of using it as an excuse to try and get rid of her.
"They are just seeing this as an opportunity to get revenge against the mayor.
"I would dismiss that as a bit of a non-story really. I just hope Tory is doing well personally and privately and that she gets back to being the best champion and ambassador for Wellington which I think she is.
"She did incredibly well in the election, she's very popular with Wellingtonians and there's a lot of support for her.
"Some people who oppose her don't like that and they want to bring her down, and they will take any opportunity they can."
Lester called for people to "give Tory a break" and let her get on with her job.
"I think it's fair to say that you're held to a higher standard of account as mayor or as any public official. But they’re also normal human beings and they need to have a life and they need to live."
It's not the first time Whanau has faced criticism over her behaviour since becoming mayor.
In July she admitted she was 'tipsy" when she skipped the bill after dining with a friend at a popular restaurant. But she denied claims about drunken behaviour including asking a waiter, "Do you know who I am?" after being cut off.
She also made headlines that same month after breaching the Council's tenancy agreement by bringing her dog into the office.
