In Conclusion: An Absolutely Biased Guide to Auckland Local Elections

2019 was the third consecutive local body election in which I have compiled a voting guide. In 2013, it was a couple of pages knocked together, with a considerable amount of self-interest invested into it. The Affordable City nationwide local body ticket – Affordable Auckland in our case – had three candidates for Council, two for local board and myself standing for Mayor.

Affordable Auckland Results 2013

In 2016, I’d withdrawn from the Mayoral race when the centre-right got too crowded, Palino had a very similar platform to mine and I’d now been transferred to open a new supermarket. It’s hard to sit and watch, quietly, from the sidelines. Hence, a 2016 voting guide. It took a couple of days to complete but again, not that detailed.

When the 2019 candidates had been confirmed, I figured it wouldn’t be that difficult to do an assessment of every race if I started immediately, but hyper-focus and the desire not to be sued for defamation resulted in each article taking 2 to 5 hours at a time to write. Local boards such as Manurewa with 22 candidates and Devonport-Takapuna with 18 were especially demanding. Underestimating the size or difficulty of a task is a mistake I think I’m doomed never to learn, though the accompanying excessively optimistic outlook is compensation enough.

For a blatantly biased voting guide, I was determined to be as fair and systematic as possible by reading every candidate profile and googling each candidate to ensure I had as much information as possible. This was most difficult with local board contests. I’ve had a long and sufficiently intense interest in politics for most names or affiliations to ring a bell, though some had virtually no google footprint at all.

Incumbents are among those with virtually no online presence, including incumbents no longer affiliated with the tickets they were elected prior. The absence of evidence for their newfound independence speaks just as loudly as the absence of any other visibility on google. They did as little as their former colleagues claim. Conversely, a much smaller number of incumbents with new affiliations also stood for re-election and their google footprints indicate the fault resulting in parting ways with their colleagues isn’t their own.

Some candidate profiles were either obviously rushed, showed a lack of effort or were grammatically indecipherable. Others said plenty about themselves or careers and little about their priorities, then had the nerve to send me criticisms for portraying them poorly, not doing enough research or failing to understand how that experience would make them excellent representatives.

Candidates write the candidate profiles themselves. If I have failed to understand the value you would add as a representative, using your candidate profile and google searches using the keywords within, the fault is entirely yours. Do better. Others, standing for election for the first time emailed their appreciation of being reviewed, some of which were blunt but came with suggestions for improvement. The clickbait nature of mass mainstream media meant it was almost the only coverage they had and that’s a frustration I completely understand. Considering the number of elections I’ve lost, it is legitimate to question the value of that advice but much of it comes from politicians I look up to and failing teaches at least as many lessons as success.

I’ve lived in a variety of Auckland suburbs in my life; Manurewa, Mt. Roskill, St. Lukes, Ponsonby, Massey, Lynfield, Onehunga, Remuera, Meadowbank, CBD and Forrest Hill. Most of the contests I researched with no preconceptions of whom I would support and in some cases completed the review with a decision very different from expected. I didn’t even open my voting papers until the articles on Orakei and the Mayoralty were written and published. The irony of being unable to make a decision until reading the voting guide I authored isn’t lost.

Numerous contests, especially the local boards, I knew virtually nothing of the participants, their policies or the nuances of the unique issues of their locality until the article was completely researched and published. The public responses that followed were sufficient evidence I’d got it right. Some were so disproportionate and bizarre, they only helped the reputation of the candidate they opposed.

On occasion, I got it wrong, inevitable given the enormity of the task. The spelling of a couple of candidate names had to be fixed. One candidate who I stated had championed an unsuccessful petition for a dog park, produced evidence showing not only was the petition not rejected but the local board in question was very close to implementing its request. Naturally I was only too happy to publish a correction in every facebook community group possible. There was also the case of two female candidates, listed one after the other on the same ballot who had both worked in their local MP’s office and one was missed from the guide. Credit goes to the persistence and politeness of their many supporters for the injustice being corrected.

Sometimes, I’d encounter candidate names that I only recognised as having liked the facebook page recently. Many I’d met and liked personally despite their politics. Those were the most difficult to write. Politics is an enterprise in which uncomplimentary interactions or language are routine and necessary. It varies wildly depending on the individual, but a significant proportion of the insults and criticisms levelled at rivals aren’t enjoyable.

To my knowledge, Stephen Berry’s Guide to Auckland Local Elections is the most comprehensive, complete and detailed guide compiled in New Zealand political history. If not, it certainly is the case for one compiled single-handedly.

Unfortunately, I fell short of achieving a review of every election contest, though the Mayoralty, all Council Wards, 1 DHB, 16 from 32 local board contests and the Waitakere & Portage Licensing Trusts were completed.

Several other organisations also wrote guides recommending voting choices;

• Generation Zero covered Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin
• The Spinoff
• Northern Action Group. Rodney
• The Public Health Association covered 4 DHB’s
• The Traffic Jam in Wellington
• The Common Climate Network
• Organise Aotearoa in Hamilton
• Western Springs Speedway in Auckland
• Auckland Ratepayer’s Alliance

All of these guides shared a fatal flaw. They required candidate participation. Not every candidate likes answering policy questions for a publisher they perceive to be hostile or unimportant. Communities & Residents didn’t participate in any in Auckland. Stephen Berry’s Guide to Auckland Local Elections (aka The BFD’s An Absolutely Biased Guide to Auckland Local Elections) wasn’t compromised by that handicap because I asked virtually no candidates. The names of those who contacted me will stay with me.

There were 40 individual contests rated, once local boards are split into subdivisions where appropriate.

• 21 Mayoral candidates
• 50 Council candidates
• 150 Local Board candidates
• 27 District Health Board candidates
• 34 Licensing Trust candidates

That’s 282 candidacies, compiled at the end of this article though, with 1 day left for people to physically deliver their vote, I doubt that will make any further impact.

Facebook page likes: 415

Facebook page reach: 62599

24 candidates received the highest rating of $$$$$

Jonathan Subritzky, Beth Houlbrooke, Paul Manton, Brent Bailey, Carmel Claridge, Colin Davis

Desley Simpson, Aidan Bennett, George Wood, John Tamihere, Ken Penney, Daniel Newman

James (Jim) Brown, Alexis Poppelbaum, Victoria Short, Angela Fulljames, Sharon Stewart,

Ian Cummings, Jose Luis Fowler, Rachel Langton, Mark Thomas, Lisa Whyte, Sam Mills, Brent Robinson

3 candidates received the 5 clown rating

Kevin Brett, Dorothea Scanlan, Tricia Cheel (who doesn’t appear to have taken it very well).

1 candidate was awarded the unique smiley face

Tom Sainsbury (AKA Fiona, the wine reviewer)

Most Suprising Voting Recommendation

Richard Hills for North Shore Councillor

Most Underappreciated Candidate

William Maxwell-Steele for Waitemata & Gulf

Biggest Crybaby Candidate

Mark Graham for Albert-Eden-Puketepapa

Rates my page 0/5

Thank You

SB of The BFD for serialising

JP for pretending to be interested

Bruce Carley for proofing

Complete List of Candidates Recommended

Auckland Mayor

John Tamihere

Council

Albany Ward

Julia Parfitt – Independent

John Watson – Putting People First

Albert-Eden-Puketapapa Ward

Chris Fletcher – C&R Communities and Residents

Mark Thomas – C&R Communities and Residents

Howick Ward

Sharon Stewart – Independent

Paul Young – Independent

Manukau Ward

Faanana Efeso Collins – Labour

Alf Filipaina – Labour

Manurewa-Papakura ward

Angela Dalton – Manurewa-Papakura Action Team

Daniel Newman – Manurewa-Papakura Action Team

Maungakiekie-Tamaki ward

Carmel Claridge – Better Auckland

North Shore ward

Anthony Bunting – Independent

Richard Hills – A Positive Voice for the Shore

Orakei Ward

Desley Simpson C&R – Communities and Residents

Waitakere Ward

Peter Chan – Independent

Shane Henderson – Labour Party

Waitemata & Gulf Ward

Will Maxwell-Steele – Independent

Whau Ward

Tracy Mulholland – C&R – Communities and Residents

Local Boards

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board (Hibiscus Coast Subdivision)

Brent Robinson – Positively Penlink

Sam Mills – Independent

Andy Dunn – Coast People and Penlink First

Janet Fitzgerald – Positively Penlink

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board (East Coast Bays Subdivision)

Alexis Poppelbaum – Backing the Bays

James Brown – Independent

Victoria Short – Independent

Julia Parfitt – Backing the Bays

Upper Harbour Local Board

Lisa Whyte

John McLean

Anna Atkinson – Living Upper Harbour

Margaret Miles – Independent

Callum Blair – Independent

John Laou

Albert-Eden Local Board (Maungawhau Subdivision)

Lee Corrick – C&R – Communities and Residents

Rachel Langton – C&R – Communities and Residents

Benjamin Lee – C&R – Communities and Residents

Kendyl Smith – C&R – Communities and Residents

Albert-Eden Local Board (Owairaka Subdivision)

Jose Luis Fowler – C&R – Communities and Residents

Megan Early – Independent

Margi Watson – City Vision

Monique Poirier – C&R – Communities and Residents

Puketapapa Local Board

Jonathan Subritzky – C&R – Communities and Residents

Jeffrey Johnson –  C&R – Communities and Residents

Bobby Shen – Roskill Community Voice

Fiona Lai –  C&R – Communities and Residents

Jon Turner – Roskill Community Voice

Ella Kumar  C&R – Communities and Residents

Franklin Local Board (Waiuku subdivision)

Sharlene Druyven – Team Franklin

Gareth Manning – Team Franklin

Franklin Local Board (Pukekohe subdivision)

Ian Cummings – Independent

Andy Baker – Team Franklin

Alan Cole – Team Franklin

Logan Soole – Team Franklin

Franklin Local Board (Wairoa subdivision)

Angela Fulljames – Team Franklin

Malcolm Bell

Amanda Hopkins – Team Franklin

Manurewa Local Board

Joseph Allan – Manurewa Action Team

Melissa Atama – Manurewa Action Team

Ken Penney – Manurewa Action Team

Duncan White – Independent

Ezekiel Robson – Labour

Tabetha Gorrie – Manurewa Action Team

David Pizzini – Manurewa Action Team

Rangi McLean – Manurewa Action Team

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board

Aiden Bennett – A Fresh Approach

George Wood – Team George Wood

Toni van Tonder – A Fresh Approach

Michael Sheehy – Team George Wood

Jen McKenzie – Team George Wood

Gavin Busch – Team George Wood

Orakei Local Board

Troy Churton – C&R – Communities and Residents

Carmel Claridge – Better Auckland

Colin Davis – C&R – Communities and Residents

Troy Elliot – C&R – Communities and Residents

Isaac Mercer

Scott Milne – C&R – Communities and Residents

Sarah Powrie – C&R – Communities and Residents

Rodney Local Board (Kumeu Subdivision)

Phelan Pirrie – Rodney First

Brent Bailey – Rodney First

Danielle Hancock – Rodney First

Vicki Kenny – Rodney First

Rodney Local Board (Warkworth Subdivision)

Beth Houlbrooke – Rodney First

Ayla Walker – Rodney First

Paul Manton – Rodney First

Waitakere Licensing Trust – Ward 1

Amanda Roberts – Trusts Action Group

Nick Smale – Trusts Action Group

Waitakere Licensing Trust – Ward 2

Andrew Flanagan – Trusts Action Group

John Loau

Adam Quill – Independent

Waitakere Licensing Trust – Ward 3

Heather Tanguay – Independent

Waitakere Licensing Trust – Ward 4

Lynette Adams – Independent

Portage Licensing Trust – Ward 1

Sam Learmonth – Trusts Action Group

Catherine Farmer – City Vision

Margi Watson – City Vision

Portage Licensing Trust – Ward 2

Wayne Davis – Independent

Pam Nuttall – Labour Party

Portage Licensing Trust – Ward 3

Janet Clews – Independent

Noel Watson – Trusts Action Group

Portage Licensing Trust – Ward 4

Ben Goodale – Trusts Action Group

Mark Roberts – Future West