The incumbent Mayor, John Kennedy-Good, stood for a sixth term and was successful.

[1] The Labour Party made a modest recovery from its 1980 result, winning three extra seats.

Former United Citizens councillor Don Lee severed his links with the ticket to run for the mayoralty.

As an independent he was defeated for mayor as well as losing his seat on the city council and Hutt Valley Energy Board (the latter of which he was chairman of).

He did however manage to retain his seat on the Wellington Regional Council (which Kennedy-Good was also elected to).