| Rohan O'Neill-Stevens | |
| Office1: | 20th Deputy Mayor of Nelson |
| Predecessor1: | Judene Edgar |
| Term Start1: | 2022 |
| Office2: | Nelson City Councillor |
| Termstart2: | 2019 |
| Birth Place: | Nelson, New Zealand |
| Birth Name: | Rohan Tomas Sean O'Neill-Stevens |
Rohan Tomas Sean O'Neill-Stevens (born 2000) is a New Zealand politician and deputy mayor of Nelson City Council. In 2019, he was elected as the youngest councillor of Nelson City Council.[1] He is a member of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand,[2] convened their 2023 general election campaign,[3] and previously served as the Co-convenor of the party's youth wing.
O'Neill-Stevens is of Māori and European descent, and is of Ngāti Apakura.[4] In 2017, while studying at Nelson College he was awarded a scholarship to attend UWC Robert Bosch College in Germany.[5]
In the 2019 New Zealand local elections, O'Neill-Stevens was elected to the Nelson City Council.[6] O'Neill-Stevens campaigned on issues such as public transport improvements, youth engagement, and housing.[7]
In the 2022 New Zealand local elections, O'Neill-Stevens ran for re-election and for mayor of Nelson,[8] finishing in third place for the mayoralty and was re-elected as a councillor.[9] Following the election, O'Neill-Stevens was appointed deputy mayor by Mayor Nick Smith to 'provide balance'.[10]
O'Neill-Stevens supports housing density, calling "subpar and unaffordable housing" a "stain" on New Zealand.[11] He voted against Nelson City Council and Tasman District Council's Future Development Strategy for having "lowballed intensification" and failing to change the way council's approach urban planning.[12]
O'Neill-Stevens has advocated for public and active transport improvements, and in 2021, moved a motion for Nelson City Council to support free public transport for students, under-25s and community services card holders which was narrowly defeated.[13]
O'Neill-Stevens has spoken out against the harm of gaming machines, and in 2021, he moved a motion to adopt a sinking lid policy to reduce the number of machines in Nelson.[14]
O'Neill-Stevens identifies as queer.[15]