Kylie Wihapi

Wihapi died on the morning of Saturday 31 October 2026 at her home in Plimmerton, aged 45. Mayor Anita Baker said she had fallen and hit her head, and called it a freak accident. Baker announced the death that evening, saying she was numb with shock.

Tributes came from Labour MP Barbara Edmonds, Te Pati Maori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Wellington deputy mayor Ben McNulty, Far North mayor Moko Tepania, Ngati Toa Rangatira, local schools and the Kapi Mana Netball Centre. Books of condolence were opened at Pataka Art + Museum and the council building. She was taken onto Horouta Marae at Papakowhai before a civic service and funeral at Te Rauparaha Arena.

Kylie Wihapi was of Ngati Porou and Ngati Tuwharetoa descent and grew up in Porirua, the city north of Wellington she would later help to govern. Her parents are Marlene and Rob. Ngati Toa Rangatira and local leaders described her after her death as a true child of Porirua, and she spent her adult life in the city, latterly living in Plimmerton.

Wihapi worked in real estate, latterly with One Agency Select Realty, whose staff remembered her as a valued colleague and friend.

She was first elected to Porirua City Council in 2016, alongside councillor Ross Leggett. When the council established a Maori ward, she became the first person elected to represent it, and Mayor Anita Baker appointed her deputy mayor. Baker described her as a trusted adviser who also organised the council's functions and regularly stood in for the mayor.

On the council she focused on neighbourhood safety and animal welfare. Fellow councillor Geoff Hayward recalled her work on puppy farming and her push for policies to rehabilitate and rehome dogs instead of euthanising them when owners could not pay fines. She belonged to Te Maruata, the Maori local government network, and Ngati Toa Rangatira kaumatua Dr Taku Parai said she supported the iwi's vision, championed te reo Maori and advocated for Te Tiriti.

Wihapi was married to Adam Wihapi and was mother to Cooper, whose rugby games she followed from the sideline, and stepmother to Arama. She was the netball convener at Aotea College and coached and umpired across Porirua. She hosted an annual Pink Breakfast for the Breast Cancer Foundation, ran a Christmas pet food drive, and was known for rescuing dogs and cats. On the Thursday before her death she presented a leadership cup at Mana College's senior prizegiving.

Wihapi will be remembered as the first elected representative of Porirua's Maori ward and as a deputy mayor who was visible in every corner of her city, from council meetings to netball courts. Her advocacy for animal welfare, young people and te reo Maori, and her fundraising for breast cancer research, made her one of the best known figures in local life. Mayor Baker said: "Kylie was Porirua through and through. She loved this city, believed in its people and worked tirelessly to make it a better place."