Goff won the mayoralty with 179,206 votes, 47.6 per cent of votes counted to date. His nearest rival Vic Crone received 105,413 votes,
An elated Goff received the news from electoral officer Dale Ofsoske in a telephone call at his election function at a central city bar in Auckland.
He succeeds Len Brown, who announced last November he was standing down after two terms as the first Mayor of the Super City.
Goff has listed traffic congestion and housing affordability as the two "overwhelmingly obvious problems" facing Auckland. He has promised to hold rates to 2.5 per cent, stop any further reclamation of Waitemata Harbour for port use and rebuild trust and confidence in the council.
It is another disappointing result for the centre-right, which was split over a leader who could unite them. Crone, with the backing of senior National Party figures, struggled for name recognition; cafe owner John Palino threw his hat in the ring after standing in 2013; and Orakei Local Board member Mark Thomas rejected calls to stand aside.
Goff and the 20 new councillors will be sworn in on November 1. In the meantime, Goff must set about appointing a deputy, setting up a committee structure and start work on his first budget. He must deliver a draft budget before Christmas.
Goff will return to Wellington on Tuesday, resign as an MP with effect from Wednesday morning, farewell colleagues and deliver a valedictory speech in Parliament. A byelection for his Mt Roskill seat is expected to take place in late November or early December.
Goff has had a long and distinguished political career. He was first elected the MP for Roskill in 1981, been in Parliament for 32 years, held a number of senior cabinet positions and was Leader of the Opposition between 2008 and 2011.
