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- Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has been diagnosed with ADHD and “significant traits of autism”.��
- Whanau has adjusted her work arrangements to manage her symptoms, including shorter meetings and more rest.��
- She is aiming to use her diagnosis positively, enhancing her mayoral duties and reducing the stigma around ADHD.��

Wellington��Mayor��Tory Whanau��has revealed she’s been diagnosed with ADHD and “significant traits of autism”.����

In a sit-down interview with the��Herald, Whanau said the diagnosis came as a shock while she was receiving professional mental health support after��publicly admitting to a drinking problem late last year.��

Whanau said she was diagnosed in April after working with a therapist and it has impacted her job “in a positive sense”.��

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

“For many people who have ADHD, alcohol use disorder is also part of that,” she said.��

Since receiving the diagnosis, Whanau has worked with her office to make changes to her work arrangements, including “front-loading” her day so as to put more challenging tasks at the beginning of the day when her energy is at its greatest, and incorporating more time for rest.��

“Meetings are kept to 30 minutes and people need to get to the point right away, and we ensure that I get lots of rest - exhaustion is a very common symptom of ADHD.��

“I’ve made officers and [some] councillors aware of this so that we can ensure that time is well-utilised. We now know that what [previously could] be achieved in an hour can actually be achieved in 15 minutes.”��

Whanau said learning she has ADHD has had a "positive" impact on her work. Photo / Mark Mitchell��

Whanau said attending events in a mayoral capacity has also been a challenge “with the autism side of things”.��

“Being in a very social environment is ultra-exhausting. It just means that we need to work around that and ensure that at least once a week, I’ve got some time to recharge.”��

She said having traits of autism also “played quite a big part in making last year challenging”, adding many neurodivergent people also struggle with alcohol use problems.��

“It’s still something I’m learning about myself. I’ve basically gone 40 years without this diagnosis, and when I look back and think about the assessment, things are fitting into place.”��

The��Herald��first learned of Whanau’s diagnosis after she updated her biography on social media platform TikTok last month to describe herself as the “Neuro-spicy Mayor of Wellington City”, a term popularised by Generation Z internet users which refers to��neurodiversity.��

When questions about the use of this term were sent to the mayor’s office, it was removed from her profile.��

Whanau said she didn’t expect anyone to see it: “I forget I’m a public figure sometimes.”��

“When I was diagnosed, I wanted to watch more content about it, connect with more people ... there are a lot of ADHD people on TikTok - in fact, they’re all on there, and we’ve all kind of got ‘neuro-spicy’ in our profile, mainly just to connect with each other more,” she said.��

Whanau said the diagnosis has allowed her to learn more about herself.��

“It’s quite an interesting experience and one that I’m learning about every day,” she said.��

Whanau said she sees it as a positive thing which has meant she’s been able to take the perceived challenges of ADHD and autism and use them to her advantage.��

“If I could get to becoming mayor with those challenges and now I’m treating those and embracing those, I can only see the rest of this term - and next term, and the following term – being really wonderful. Like a supercharged mayor”.��

“It’s certainly not a negative ... all it is is that my brain works a little bit differently and I have my attention on many things, and sometimes hyperfocus on a singular thing.”��

Whanau has changed the way she works after being diagnosed, keeping meetings to 30 minutes and taking more time to rest. Photo / Mark Mitchell��

Whanau’s relationships with councillors from across the political spectrum have at times been difficult, but she said since receiving her diagnosis, their interactions have improved.��

“I think I have, at the moment, a very good relationship with the councillors that I didn’t have a few months ago, and I think some of that is to do with the diagnosis.��

“I’m naturally quite introverted ... when people first meet me, I think that because I’m still trying to figure them out, I might come across a little bit cold sometimes.��

“I react emotionally to certain behaviours, and once I realised that that might be an autistic trait or ADHD trait, I thought, ‘Okay, take a step back’. I don’t need to be so upset or so offended once I’ve removed that emotional barrier.”��

Whanau said while she originally did not intend to speak about her diagnosis for a while, she was “certainly not going to say no” to discussing it when asked.��

“I think it’s important to share. Not because of me, I don’t want to make this about myself necessarily, it’s just a very real disorder and issue in the community.��

“If it can help others feel okay - that they have it and connect with me more as their mayor - then all the better.”��

ADHD New Zealand chairman Darrin Bull said it’s common for people with ADHD to be diagnosed after a “crisis” or difficult period in their life.��

Bull said research also shows strong links between ADHD and problematic alcohol and drug use.��

“People with ADHD are predisposed to addiction ... It’s very, very common.”��

“In particular, women with ADHD are underrepresented.��

“Just a few years ago, often women were not viewed as being able to have ADHD.”��

Bull describes people with ADHD as “just someone who thinks differently” and is praising Whanau for speaking out.��

“There’s significant stigma around ADHD, and as high-profile people start to talk about it and their experiences, it starts to normalise the conversation.”��

Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined ob�����ӿ� in 2023 and is interested in politics, local issues and the public service. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at��[email protected]��or messaged on X (formerly Twitter)����