I have attended two meetings where candidates for the Waitemata Local Board have spoken about their policies. The second one included Bill Ralston and Mike Lee, candidates for the one Waitemata Ward council seat. Lee is the incumbent.
I have attended two meetings where candidates for the Waitemata Local Board have spoken about their policies. The second one included Bill Ralston and Mike Lee, candidates for the one Waitemata Ward council seat. Lee is the incumbent.
It’s hard to get past generalities at these meetings, and with 21 candidates for seven seats on the board, there is precious little time for any candidate to go into depth about their policies and how they would implement them.
The council has produced a booklet with the voting papers that gives some information about candidates, but I need more than, “I am passionate about Auckland.”
One of the recurring themes, particularly among the Auckland Future (read National Party-aligned), candidates is a promise to cut costs, hold rates and review or cut council staff numbers.
Those suggestions always please voters, who are tired of increasing rate demands every year.
But the question that must be asked of those candidates is: “what would you cut?” Their answer most often: “waste.”
What they also call for is to “stick to core services.” Voters should ask these candidates if they would cut music in parks, computers in libraries, charge for museum entry, increase zoo entry charges, add user-pays more often (isn’t that just adding to rates by another name?)
All of the above help to make Auckland a more liveable city and I believe should not be cut.
As Auckland copes with the projected huge increase in population, there will inevitability be increased infrastructure costs which we will all have to share.
I will be voting for those candidates who vow to spend rate money very wisely, but I just won’t believe those who cry “no rate increase at all, or even, just 2%."
The candidate meeting held at the Grey Lynn RSL was attended by about 45 locals. Mark Thomas, mayoral candidate turned up and sat quietly in the corner listening.
Candidates present included all seven City Vision candidates incumbents, Shale Chambers, Pippa Coom, and Vernon Tava, (all lawyers), as well as new candidates Adriana Christie, Chang Hung and Kurt Taogaga. The seventh candidate is new to Waitemata, but an old stager in politics, Richard Northey.
Auckland Future, the right wing team are all new to local politics except incumbent Greg Moyle, who did not attend the RSL meeting. The other six were Judith Bassett, Stella Chan, Mark Davey, Jonathan Good, Alasdair Long and Chris Severne.
Independents present were Kurt Brunton, Jackie Hui, Allan Matson and Margaret Voyce. Rob Thomas, a candidate for both the council and the board was away in China. It was an entertaining evening, chaired by the Grey Lynn Business Association.
As already indicated above, 30-second answers give little opportunity for candidates to say very much about their policies.
So who shone on the night?
The councillor candidates Mike Lee and Bill Ralston agreed with each other almost as much as they disagreed. Ralston is rather blunter and brasher than Lee, who is a gentler man, who comes across as caring and thoughtful. Both were critical of the way council has been run in the last six years. Lee promised to continue his criticisms and will not agree to sell assets. He told the meeting he has unfinished business on the council. There was no time to canvas Lee’s long and valuable contribution to Auckland local politics. Bill Ralston has become concerned at perceived shortcomings at council, leading to his challenge to Mike Lee and, among other policies, Ralston would consider selling the Port business.
The Auckland Future’s mantra - cut costs, hold rates, sell assets was clearly on display at the RSL meeting. One Auckland Future candidate also offered that he would be happy to use Roundup’s poisonous and carcinogenic spray. He’d sprayed it himself all over the Coromandel. He received a huge boo from an old fellow in the back row!
City Vision’s current chair, Shale Chambers, who has said in the past that he is not a natural politician, shone brightly. He is articulate and on top of the issues. So too, is Pippa Coom. Vernon Tava is impressive, and has much more still to offer.
Of the independents, Allan Matson excelled. He has huge heritage experience, and would be a valuable board member, given the importance of bedding in the Unitary Plan and protecting our villa stock.
Auckland Future’s Jonathan Good, a former Rhodes Scholar, is articulate, and is interested in innovation and sustainability.
The three young city vision candidates, Taogaga, Hung and Christie were quite impressive, especially given their inexperience. They are well worth a look, and would bring new blood to the board.
Whether gentrification in recent years will give Auckland Future candidates a better chance this election remains to be seen.
The most important message Ponsonby News can give readers is to urge everyone to seek out these candidates and ask them to comment on issues that worry them.
Then we would urge everyone to vote. (JOHN ELLIOTT)