Wellington councillor Andrea Compton reveals ovarian cancer remission

What happened

Andrea Compton, a first-term Wellington City councillor, revealed during a council meeting on Thursday that her ovarian cancer diagnosis is now in remission. She was diagnosed in February after falling ill while on holiday in Hawke's Bay with her daughter in January, initially being told she had fibroids before further tests revealed elevated cancer markers. She had surgery in March to remove tumours — pathology showed two stage one tumours, one large on her ovary and another on her uterus — followed by six rounds of chemotherapy that concluded in September. She had to travel to Christchurch for surgery as Wellington has no gynaecological surgeon. Throughout her treatment, Compton continued working as a councillor, attending meetings remotely and working from home during chemotherapy. She made her announcement while wearing a sequin dress for Frocktober, which raises funds for ovarian cancer research. Ovarian cancer has one of the lowest survival rates among women's cancers in New Zealand, with nearly half of diagnoses coming through emergency presentations.

Key facts

• Andrea Compton is a Wellington City councillor, first term
• Diagnosed February 2026 after January illness while in Hawke's Bay
• Two stage one tumours removed in March surgery; six chemotherapy rounds completed September 2026
• Ovarian cancer has 42.8% five-year survival rate in New Zealand; nearly half diagnosed through emergency presentation
• Wellington has no gynaecological surgeon; Compton had surgery in Christchurch

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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.

Where the outlets differ

The NZ Herald provides more medical detail about Compton's symptoms, her elevated CA125 levels, and the infrastructure challenges she faced, including travel to Christchurch for surgery and broken patient information systems between hospitals. The 1News report emphasises her council colleagues' support and humanity, and includes statistics from the Ovarian Cancer Foundation on diagnosis rates and survival. The Herald quotes Compton more extensively on her experience and her decision to continue working.

What outlets are saying