Little is currently a consultant for a law firm in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The former Labour Party leader and Cabinet minister says will prioritise fixing the pipes, making public transport cheaper, investing in parks, swimming pools and libraries, and developing more housing.
Little had been sought after by Labour to run on the party ticket for mayor - up against incumbent Tory Whanau, who is running on the endorsement of the Green Party - and he confirmed his bid for the city's top job on Wednesday.
Six other contenders, including Whanau, have already announced they plan to run for the capital's top job.
The other five consist of current councillor Ray Chung, former councillor Rob Goulden, conservationist Kelvin Hastie, businessman Karl Tiefenbacher, and Wellington Live's Graham Bloxham.
Little said Wellingtonians did not vote for asset sales or closing community facilities, and he would keep the Khandallah Pool and the Begonia House, as well as honouring past promises to the Karori community regarding its facilities.
With plans under way for a new water entity combining all the region's councils, requiring the merging of assets, he told Morning Report he would ensure Wellington got a good deal.
He said he would "rephase" the Golden Mile project to reduce disruption to local businesses, amid a difficult time for retail and hospitality.
"My focus as mayor will be getting the best for Wellington," Little said. "That means being able to work constructively with the Government in the city's interests and it means standing up to the Beehive when needed."
Little - who is currently a consultant for a law firm in Wellington - left Parliament following Labour's 2023 election defeat after first entering politics in 2011.
He shot to the party leadership in 2014, but stood down just two months out from the 2017 election, making way for Jacinda Ardern, who went on to be prime minister.
During his time in government, Little held 12 ministerial portfolios - the most difficult of his tenure being Health Minister during the Covid-19 response years.
Incumbent Tory Whanau plans to run for a second term. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
He was given the role by Ardern following the 2020 election and was the minister who oversaw the seismic overhaul of the sector, scrapping all 20 district health boards and replacing them with two new entities - Health New Zealand and the Māori Health Authority.
Other senior ministerial roles he held included: Minister for Treaty Negotiations, Defence, the Security Intelligence Service, Justice, and Immigration.
Whanau has previously said having several candidates for the mayoralty was good for democracy. "I also respect Andrew Little from my time at Parliament, especially when he stepped aside as leader for the Labour Party."
Little said he had submitted his nomination seeking the Wellington Labour Party's support for his mayoral campaign.
'Exactly what Wellington needs' - Hipkins
Labour leader Chris Hipkins has thrown his personal support behind Little for mayor, saying the party still had a process to go through regarding any formal endorsement.
"I think Andrew Little is exactly what Wellington needs, I think he'll be an outstanding mayor for Wellington," he told reporters at Parliament on Wednesday.
"I think he'll be a very safe pair of hands for Wellington and bring some mature and grown-up leadership for Wellington."
Hipkins said the former Labour Party leader and minister had his "full support".
He noted Little's success in bringing the party together when he was leader, and that those skills would be useful around the Wellington City Council table.
"He'll bring people together. One of the things Andrew Little will be able to do is work across the council table to end some of the factionalism that has lately been bedevilling Wellington City Council.
"But I also think he'll focus on the basics that need to be done well, and I don't think Wellington City has been doing that to the degree it needs to."
Hipkins said it was no secret the Labour Party was divided when Little took over as leader.
"I don't think it's any secret there were a number of people in the Labour Party who struggled to work constructively together, and under his leadership I think we got past that."
While Hipkins didn't personally ask Little to run, he did suggest to him a couple of weeks ago that "if he was considering it, I would strongly encourage him to do so".
'He would be a whole lot better' than Whanau - Peters
New Zealand First leader and deputy prime minister Winston Peters told RNZ earlier this month that he believed Little would beat Whanau.
"He would be a whole lot better, he's got a whole lot more experience and he's got more common sense."
Peters said despite former Wellington mayor Andy Foster being in New Zealand First's caucus, the party did not involve itself in local government.
On the question of whether Peters could work with Little as Wellington's mayor he said that it was one of the "brighter" pieces of news for the city in a long time.
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