Celia Wade-Brown has been elected the new mayor of Wellington in a close-fought race.
After the counting of 632 special votes, Ms Wade-Brown beat incumbent Kerry Prendergast by 176 votes on Wednesday.
Ms Wade-Brown says her council will listen more and be more inclusive.
She told Checkpoint her aim is to share the responsibilities and leadership across the council.
She says improving transport links in Wellington, including investigating options for light rail, will be a priority during her mayoralty.
Congratulations from Prendergast, PM
Ms Prendergast, who had been mayor for three terms and also served as deputy mayor for two terms, has issued a statement congratulating Ms Wade-Brown and the new council.
She says they have an important task ahead of them as they seek to guide Wellington through some potentially very difficult times.
PM adds congratulations
Prime Minister John Key has congratulated Ms Wade-Brown on her win.
He says he is looking forward to working with her on the issues the capital faces.
He also paid tribute to Ms Prendergast, saying she has made a huge contribution to Wellington during her time as mayor.
The final tally was 24,881 for Ms Wade-Brown and 24,705 votes for Ms Prendergast.
Before the special votes were counted, Ms Prendergast was only 40 votes in front.
Electoral Officer Ross Bly says staff had to verify that all special voters were eligible to vote in Wellington and make sure that no one had voted twice.
On Monday, Ms Wade-Brown told Radio New Zealand she believed the special votes would go her way, based on trends from previous elections.
The new mayor, who will have a base salary of $159,000, will be sworn in on 27 October.
Greens elated
The Green Party says Celia Wade-Brown's winning of the Wellington mayoralty is a milestone for the green movement in New Zealand.
Co-leader Russel Norman says Ms Wade-Brown will do an excellent job.
He says she will bring Wellington City Council together, and has the experience and the skills to engage with all community groups.
