[11] In 2019, he led a review for the New Zealand Government which recommended shifting the Port of Auckland to Marsden Point in the country's north.

[18][19] In December 2001, Brown was appointed to chairman of the Auckland District Health Board and remained chair of Tairāwhiti DHB.

[20] During the 2001–2004 local government term, Brown was forced to resign from Tairāwhiti DHB, where he had been elected, due to an administrative error by the Ministry of Health.

[22] In the October 2007 local elections, Brown challenged the three-term mayor of Far North District, Yvonne Sharp, and had a "landslide victory".

[4] Near the end of his campaign Brown said on camera that if successful he wanted to glue pictures of a certain journalist on urinals so people could "pee on him".

[35][36] Collins offered Brown his full support but stepped down from local politics, pointing out issues in the current voting system and particularly low voter turnout in South Auckland.

[44] Despite being referred to as a centre-right candidate upon his election victory, by November 2023 commentators were noting Brown had "gravitated towards the progressive side of the council" on several policy issues and in terms of political allies.

[49][50] When questioned on the poor level of preparedness on RNZ by Kim Hill, in a rare public interview, (he has granted just two during the first month of his mayoralty out of 108 requests),[44] he was unable to confirm whether or not text alerts had been sent out to Aucklanders or if tap water was safe to consume, and claimed it was "a bit early" and "not helpful" to ask if the floods were caused by climate change.

To address a NZ$295 million funding shortfall, Brown's budget proposed cuts to a range of Council services including early childhood centres, library hours, bus services, homelessness initiatives, and funding for clubs, community groups, events, and environmental initiatives.

The proposed budget was criticised by the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Green Party Member of Parliament Chlöe Swarbrick, and First Union, who opposed cuts to Council services and funding.

[64] On 17 May, Brown announced that his final budget proposal would include a "significant softening" of planned spending cuts to social services following consulting with the public and fellow councillors.

[65][66] While the Council would continue to fund homelessness initiatives, the Southern Initiative, regional grants, and regional events, arts and culture, Brown defended plans to sell the Council's shares in Auckland International Airport, citing a budget shortfall of NZ$325 million plus NZ$50 million in flood damage.

[65] In addition, Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson said that the Council would lobby for the central government to fund some services including the Citizens Advice Bureau.

[67][68] On 1 June, Brown offered to reinstate funding for the arts and social services and raise bus drivers' pay by $30 per hour in return for selling off the Council's 18% share in Auckland Airport (worth NZ$2.2 billion) as part of his 2023–24 budget proposal.

Brown offered to restore funding to arts and cultural groups, local boards, and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

[69][70][71] During a media conference promoting his revised budget, Brown criticised several fellow dissenting councillors including Maurice Williamson, Mike Lee, Christine Fletcher, John Watson and Wayne Walker.

[72][73] The Spinoff also reported that Brown had sent the dissenting councilors an angry email calling them "dip shits" following the press conference.

Brown welcomed the amended budget, stating that it would help reduce the Auckland Council's debt while protecting core services and limiting rate increases.

Brown's amended budget passed with the support of a majority of Auckland Councillors including the Labour Party Crs Shane Henderson and Richard Hills.

Members of Auckland Action Against Poverty voiced opposition to the budget over the partial shares sale and borrowing money to plug the Council's debt.

[76] In early November 2023, Brown threatened to cancel the final stage of the nearly-complete NZ$1.3 billion Eastern Busway project—the Pakuranga and Botany town centre section is the last stage and is currently under construction—if the incoming National-led government carried out an election pledge to scrap the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax.

[77] On 8 February 2024, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed that the National-led coalition government would proceed with plans to scrap the Auckland Regional Fuel Tax by June 2024.

Though Brown had earlier supported the scrapping of the tax, he argued that the Government needed to come up with other fundraising measures such as congestion charges.

In response to the Government's announcement, Brown said that the scrapping of the Regional Fuel Tax would force Auckland ratepayers to pay higher rates and the Council to delay major road and public transportation improvements.

[81] In late March 2024, Mayor Brown called on the New Zealand Government to pay NZ$415.3 million worth of GST on rates to the Auckland Council.