The deadline for the 2016 local body elections was yesterday and last night the Auckland Council released the list of confirmed candidates. The council say 447 candidates have put their hands up for the 170 positions available for Mayor, Councillor and Local Board member. This is down on previous years with there being 470 in 2013 and 545 in 2010. Below are the 17 candidates for Mayor

Auckland 2016 Mayoral Candidates 2

In past years we’ve had some colourful candidates for mayor such as David Willmott under the ticket of Roads First and who could forget Emmett Hussey, especially his campaign vehicle. I wonder if there is anyone this time that can fill that role.

On to the Councillors, with three steeping we’re guaranteed to see some change at the council table and obviously there’s the potential for more depending on how the elections go. I won’t list all of the names but here are a couple of quick observations in no particular order

  • Franklin Councillor Bill Cashmore has been re-elected un-opposed. Bill has been one of the better councillors so it will be good to see him back around the council table.
  • At the last election, Cameron Brewer in Orakei plus Dick Quax and Sharon Stewart in Howick were all elected unopposed. This time Brewer is stepping down (but he’s standing for the Rodney Local Board) and there are four candidates in Orakei. Further east in Howick there are ten candidates standing including both Quax and Stewart.
  • The North Shore has the most candidates with 12 putting their names forward. Chris Darby is standing again but George Wood is not but instead is standing for the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board with five other candidates under a ticket called Team George Wood.
  • Candidates in the Manukau ward have a 50% chance of getting elected with just four people putting their hands up for the job including current councillor Alf Filipaina. The other Manukau councillor, Arthur Anae is stepping down.
  • Further south in the Manurewa-Papakura ward the candidates have an even better chance of being elected with just three people putting their hands up including current councillors Calum Penrose and John Walker.
  • We already knew the Waitemata Ward would be an interesting seat with Mike Lee and Bill Ralston duking it out and they will be joined by just one other in the form of local board member Rob Thomas.

I put together this quick graph of the number of candidates in each ward compared to the number of seats.

Auckland 2016 Council Candidates & Seats

I’m not going to both looking the numerous local boards so you’ll have to have a look at the list if you want to see who’s standing in your area.

I’m sure it’s bound to be an interesting election. Voting opens on September 16 and goes through to October 8.

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7 comments

  1. An important point about this election I think is that the previous two ‘super city’ Councils have taken all the amalgamation hits; the Rates rebalancing and the plan recasting, especially the difficult unification of the operative plans in the Unitary Plan, are done. And once you add getting the CRL over the line, and the government changing from obstruction and be-littlement to engagement, it is pretty clear that it should in fact be a more straightforward business from here; more managerial and less revolutionary than Len Brown’s six years [history will judge his handling of this well; IMO].

    In many ways this is the time to get elected. In this Phil Goff, Desley Simpson and Bill Ralston [if he defeats Lee] will have timed their runs perfectly. No more rates adjustments giving Orsman the 10% rates rise headline on an actually 2.5% rise voted for, no more UP squabbles. Of course there will be issues and conflicts, but not on the scale that these have been.

    The supreme light-bending negativity of Brewer will be shifted down from Council to snipping from the Rodney Local Board as he eyes up taking over Key’s ultra safe seat. Quax seems to have, largely, actually discovered his liberal ACT Party roots, Woods backwards looking view will also be down a level on the Shore.

    The only certainties of course are Cashmore and Simpson, Hulse too, likely to see the return of Darby, Fletcher, Casey, Krum, Webster..? I haven’t looked closely yet; what do y’all think the Council balance will be like? Very pleased to see the like of Richard Hills stepping up from LB level, and I look forward to Pippa Coom doing the same in Waitemata next time?

  2. Denise Krum (daughter of Graeme Lee from various Christianist parties) got in last time partly by having a quick scrape around the bottom of the barrel of Unitary Plan hysteria. Remember her leaflet with the cherry picker? Also the Auckland Future bunch have stuffed it up by nominating 2 persons for Council in that Ward instead of 1. Viliami Tilesi was suposed to be standing for the Local Board but their admin is so poor that even though the nomination form for Council is a different colour, they sent in a Council one by mistake. Might give Patrick Cummuskey a good chance

  3. Fabulous to see 70 Labour candidates standing. Party politics needs to be part of local government, instead of hiding behind made-up names.

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