Hard News: Local interest
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Given the mayoral race is not as competitive as 2010, there is a serious risk of a poor turnout this year. The visionless NIMBY voters will make their voice heard, so candidates who spread fear about housing choices whilst ignoring sprawl and those who endorse the status quo of roads-heavy transport spending are likely to take office. We hope providing clear information on where candidates stand on public transport, cycling, housing/planning and climate change will be of relevance to everyday Auckland voters.
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I've had a crack at the voting paper and gave up (for now) because of the lack of specific info about policy and for sitting candidates voting records. For example, who T F is Team Waitemata, and why TF don't they have a website? So I am very happy that Gen Zero are helping with the research. Thanks!
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Hebe,
In Christchurch (feel free to delete if this is an Auckland-only piece), Gap Filler has done a pretty little questionnaire that reveals more about candidates and their attitudes in general than they realise: http://www.gapfiller.org.nz/gap-filler-candidate-questionnaire-2013-mayoral-and-council-elections/
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Russell Brown, in reply to
In Christchurch (feel free to delete if this is an Auckland-only piece),
Not at all. I've just realised Generation Zero are doing the same thing in Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
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Chris Waugh, in reply to
Kyle Chapman seems so nice… until his answer to question 4.
ETA: and, of course, except for the name of his party.
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LouisM, in reply to
I think Team Waitemata are the Tory candidates. Some of them are ex C&R candidates.
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Rob Stowell, in reply to
Gap Filler has done a pretty little questionnaire
Thanks Hebe. Hasn't made my decision any easier but it's definitely better informed :)
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Hebe, in reply to
Hasn’t made my decision any easier but it’s definitely better informed :)
Health Board is easy: start with Aaron Keown at 26, then Michael Hansen at 25…
I found the councillors hard: I had one definite and really wanted to vote for someone I knew would be great but doesn’t have a hope of getting in. Making the choice between the next top two was very hard. I wanted to change my vote the next day, so I posted the form immediately!My ward has two sitting councillors retiring and four could-bes, with two more in-with-a-smaller-chance. I can’t pick the winner because the vote will be so split.
I wish we were able to rank all the council candidates throughout the city like the STV health board system.
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We've been polling candidates over at The Wellingtonista for Wellington, obviously, and WCC Watch has done some good work too, like how in shocking news, privileged middle age white men are acting like privileged old white men.
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Hebe, in reply to
Generation Zero
Bit late though. Last Friday would have been better.
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Do not vote for the candidates asterisked below, given their stances against the health, safety and human rights of Manukau street sex workers and their support for the Manukau City Council (Regulating Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill, or opposition to Epsom's boutique brothels, or strongarm tactics against Christchurch sex workers:
Local board candidates
Mangere-Otahuhu – 7 members:Nick Bakulich, Labour
Carrol Elliott, Labour
Kayla Filimoehala, Mana
Roger Fowler, Mana
Roger Gummer, Independent
Tafafunai Tasi Lauese, Labour
Christine O’Brien, Labour
James Papali’i, Mana
Sam Patua, Independent
Leau Peter Skelton, Labour*
Lydia Sosene, Labour
Kevin Stitt, Conservative*
Walter Togiamua, Labour
Joe Trinder, ManaOtara-Papatoetoe:
Otara subdivision – 3 members
Efeso Collins, Labour
Lotu Fuli, Labour
Mary Gush, Labour
Ian Hei Hei, Mana
Jenn Jefferson, Otara Local Independents
Willie Maea, Otara Local Independents
Tupou Tamata Manapori – Vanessa Naden, Independent
Poutoa Papali’i, Otara Local Independents
Jim Sinclair, Otara FirstPapatoetoe subdivision – 4 members
Sina Aiolupotea-Aiono, Team Papatoetoe
Ashraf Choudhary, Team Papatoetoe
Stephen Grey, Papatoetoe Local Independents*
Alistaire Hall, Team Papatoetoe
Donna Lee, Papatoetoe Local Independents
John McCracken, Papatoetoe Local Independents*
Paul O’Brien, Papatoetoe Local Independents
Ross Robertson, Team Papatoetoe [Former Parliamentary Sponsor of Manukau anti-soliciting bill]*
Anthony Ryan
Ray Strong, IndependentEden-Albert Ward:
Bevan Chuang*
Mayoral Candidates:
Len Brown*Christchurch City Council:
Aaron Keown*
Wayne Hawker* -
Alasdair Thompson appears to have had quite the "Road to Damascus" moment since being turfed from the EMA. I'm inclined to vote for him, too.
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It wasn't until after I posted my form (we use STV down here for mayor and council) that I fully got my head around strategically using my vote to help people less likely to be elected get there, over people who are my #1 pick.
Example - if my #1 candidate is going to be elected for sure, and my #2 candidate is more marginal, I should rank them #2 then #1. If #2 doesn't make it, then my vote falls to #1 anyway, so I lose nothing.
If I do it the other way and vote #1 then #2, then when #1 gets elected, some proportion of my vote stays with them, and only part of my vote falls down to #2.
Maybe next STV election I'll have the strategy down pat.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Do not vote for the candidates asterisked below, given their stances against the health, safety and human rights of Manukau street sex workers and their support for the Manukau City Council (Regulating Prostitution in Specified Places) Bill, or opposition to Epsom’s boutique brothels, or strongarm tactics against Christchurch sex workers:
It's very easy to condemn the people of Manukau when you don't have to live or work in places where there are many street sex workers. I'd like to see someone do the much harder job of trying to come up with a solution that respects everyone's rights.
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I'm told John Morrison is likely to win the Wellington mayoralty, which is a truly disturbing thought. Dinosaurs aren't really extinct, after all. A delight came in the voting packet - all the candidates except Celia Wade-Brown have given their party as "Independent", while she is down as "A Good Choice for Wellington". That's a stroke of genius that marks her out on the ballot paper (the party name appears next to each candidate)
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
He's only going to win if people don't turn out (or turn in, given it's a postal poll) and put him last. I suspect a lot of his front-runner status is due to his equally Jurassic mates on the Dom Post plugging the old twatcock.
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Dom Post/Stuff has totally jumped the shark recently on their political coverage. I have deleted them from my bookmarks and try not to visit them any more, so I don't curse at my monitor as often.
Complaining about Celia photo-shopping her pic because they reckon she looks wrinklier in person was pretty foul.
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Barnaby Nicholls, in reply to
Too true - when the Dom Post finally reported his ludicrous showering remarks (lagging behind an Auckland newspaper - which is ridiculous in itself), they didn't even use his name in the headline. They talked about 'Mystery remarks', and then filled the article with references to "Former NZ cricketer John 'Mystery' Morrison" - it read like an indulgent fluff piece about him "landing in hot water", which is quite an act of contortion.
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Tim Hannah, in reply to
Hi Barnaby, did you see that 'apology' article in a hard copy paper? Cos I've only seen it online (and not exactly highly placed), and have looked for it in print.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
It’s very easy to condemn the people of Manukau when you don’t have to live or work in places where there are many street sex workers. I’d like to see someone do the much harder job of trying to come up with a solution that respects everyone’s rights.
Sure, but how many time do people have to point out to folks who really really should know better that child prostitution is illegal everywhere? And can we all agree Wayne Hawker is a creep? If this idiot get on Council, is he going to release the personal information of people he disapproves of when things don't go his way?
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Lucy Telfar Barnard, in reply to
Um, I'm a little confused.
Alasdair Thompson's blog says "In 2011 I was the subject of an international media furore for saying that some women’s productivity and income is affected by difficult menstruation; a truth I was internationally pilloried for speaking about."
To me that still sounds like a refusal to acknowledge or accept what he did wrong.
He may have had a road to Damascus conversion to Christianity, but it doesn't sound like his reading of feminist literature has been internalised in quite the same way. If his 2011 statements had been in any way supportive of women adversely affected by dysmenorrhea, there wouldn't have been a problem. Instead he implied that women in general deserved to be paid less than men because of "monthly sick problems". He also stated that women take more sick leave than men, without any actual data to back him up. While he claimed even then that he supported equal pay, I've yet to see him acknowledge that views such as those he expressed in 2011 are part of the problem, not part of the solution. -
Rob Stowell, in reply to
I found the councillors hard:
Me too. Only one option, know 2 candidates socially. And there's another who's a bit tempting!
I want to vote for a rep who will say "Nah, no thanks, not now, maybe later" to convention castle and rugby palace. Noone seems to be signalling that! -
Something I was wondering: in many countries overseas there is fairly blatant corruption between councillors and companies wanting consents and contracts. Is NZ squeaky clean here, or does it also go on?
And if not, why are councillors generally so keen on anything involving lots of concrete?
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Keir Leslie, in reply to
Rob --- which ward are you in? Because putting aside the other candidates (I don't know) the People's Choice candidates will take a strong stance against wasting money on stadia and convention centres. (As Paul McMahon always says, roofs for houses before roofs for stadia.)
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I just voted. Including for Len Brown, before I read this (sorry Craig - though unfortunately if it's not Len, it will be Palino who is unlikely to be better).
I'm not a fan of the DHB electoral system. I'm immersed in both health and politics, and the document I filled out left me hoping I'd made the right choices rather than confident I was putting in place people who would improve the health of Manukau.
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