OPINION

On Wednesday afternoon Newstalk ZB reporter Ethan Manera sat down with Wellington mayor Tory Whanau.

She revealed to him that she's been diagnosed with ADHD and significant traits of autism.

Ethan got the story after finding the Mayor had changed her bio on her Tiktok account, calling herself the “neurospicy Mayor of Wellington”.

Neurospicy is Gen Z talk, meaning neurodivergent.  

So this reporter asked what the deal was, and the Mayor revealed her diagnosis. Whanau said she was diagnosed in April after working with a therapist.

But she says it hasn't hindered her ability to do her job; she says it's impacted her job in a positive way.

After going sober Whanau said traits of autism started appearing a lot more, and ADHD symptoms like hyperfocus were more prevalent in her work.

The reality is that there would be several high-powered business leaders and political leaders who have ADHD. It's not an uncommon disorder.

Tory's diagnosis is certainly not the end of the world.

But here’s what I find most interesting.

Whanau said since receiving the diagnosis she has made changes which include “front-loading” her days to put more challenging tasks at the beginning of the day when she has more energy.

She’s arranged more time for rest as she gets exhausted quickly.

Also interesting is that her meetings are now kept to 30 minutes. People need to get to the point straight away to ensure that she gets lots of rest.

That's probably a positive. There's something to say about all meetings being no longer than 30 minutes.

Whanau said attending events in a mayoral capacity is also challenging with the "autism side of things".

Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of things to criticise Whanau about. But this isn't one of them. 

Personally, I have no issue with a mayor having ADHD or traits of autism.

And frankly, good on Tory Whanau for coming out and being open about the challenges she is facing. 

I’ve always said I like her as a person, not necessarily her politics, but this is open and honest and should be praised. 

And I believe that I would have ADHD if tested.

But then again, I'm not the Mayor of Wellington and don't face the stresses that go with that particular position.

And I've worked with some very talented people that have been diagnosed with ADHD and have been on the spectrum.

They're normally extremely focused on the task at hand and good at getting things done.

My difficulty with this particular scenario at Wellington City Council is that I feel that Tory now needs a very strong and capable deputy mayor. 

If I was advising Tory Whanau right now I would be looking for someone to assist her as a deputy who is more appealing to the public than Laure Foon.

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