The 1998 Lower Hutt mayoral election was part of the New Zealand local elections held that same year. The elections were held for the role of Mayor of Lower Hutt plus other local government positions including twelve city councillors, also elected triennially. The polling was conducted using the standard first-past-the-post electoral method.
The incumbent Mayor, John Terris, stood for a second term. As he had no formal support from any councillors during the term (due to the defeat of all Citizens Action ticket candidates who backed his candidacy) former city councillor David Ogden formed a new ticket, City Vision, to support Terris whom Ogden said was "by far the best candidate for mayor" and was committed to keeping rates down.[1] The ticket was formed prior to Terris' decision to stand for re-election, which he confirmed two months later he would as an independent.[2]
The election campaign was low-key with mayoral candidates speaking to poorly attended public meetings. Terris spoke as though he was campaigning against his own council which was made up largely of independents rather than left and right tickets. While such tickets were shunned at the 1995 election they made a comeback. The City Vision team, which endorsed Terris, included candidates associated with the National and ACT. Positive Focus, led by central ward councillor and mayoral candidate Peter Glensor, was a Labour-Alliance backed grouping. Another talking point in the mayoral race was the big-spending campaign of Wellington Regional Councillor Sandra Greig.[3] Terris was re-elected in a landslide with both of his opponents also failing to win council seats. Five council seats were won by his City Vision backers, giving him a core of support on the council that he previously did not have.[4]
