Wayne Brown aims for re-election, targets councillors in Auckland race
After Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson signed up for Fix Auckland in May after mulling a challenge for the top job, Victoria Short and Gary Brown came forward to stand for the two council seats in the Albany ward.
Brown has little time for the sitting councillors, John Watson and Wayne Walker, whom he dubs the 'Albanians' behind their backs.
Likewise, he's tired of the two Manukau councillors, Lotu Fuli and Alf Filipaina. The two Fix Auckland candidates are Luke Mealamu and Vicky Hau.
Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu, owns a large security firm and Hau is the Māngere Town Centre manager. Short and Gary Brown are both members of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, and Gary Brown contested the mayoral race in 2022, finishing fifth.
Brown said the Fix Auckland candidates for 'Albania' and Manukau were four 'exceptionally good people' who had approached him wanting to be councillors and believed in the direction he was taking Auckland.
Fix Auckland candidates Viky Hau and Luke Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu.
He said the councillors from 'Albania' and Manukau had not voted for fixing Auckland and consistently voted against anything that reduces money.
Walker said Brown had gone out of his way to run him and John Watson down and didn't like opposition around the council table.
'John and I will run a vigorous campaign and always take the prospect of competition seriously, and that's a healthy situation. Because of the effort we put in, we get a lot of support, and that really helps,' he said.
The pair have recorded big wins in Albany against all-comers since 2013. At the 2022 election, they were 5000 votes clear of Short, who came third.
There was no doubt, Fuli said, that the mayor was targeting herself and Filipaina.
'I think that is because of the charge I led in trying to save the Auckland Airport shares for the people of Manukau, but also for all of Auckland.
'He assumes he will win, be back in the seat of power and wants to ensure he has got the numbers around the table for the next term,' she said.
Fuli was looking forward to the contest, saying: 'I'm in the community all the time and I stand on that and, of course, Alf is a local legend. Everybody knows him. Everybody loves him.'
Those standing for the mayoralty are John Alcock, Wayne Brown (Fix Auckland), Eric Chuah, Michael Coote (Independent), Ted Johnston (Independent), Kerrin Leoni, Denise Widdison (Independent), Rob McNeil (Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ), Ryan Pausina, Jason Pieterse, Simon Stan (Independent), Peter Wakeman (Independent).
The councillors not seeking re-election are:
Angela Dalton (Manurewa-Papakura)
Chris Darby (North Shore)
Kerrin Leoni (Whau - standing for mayor)
Sharon Stewart (Howick)
One surprise candidate is former National MP and Manukau City councillor Jami-Lee Ross, who is running in the Flat Bush subdivision of the Howick Local Board.
Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is looking to make a political comeback in October's local body elections.
Ross spectacularly quit the National Party in 2018 over an allegation of leaking confidential party information (he was later found not guilty in a Serious Fraud Office trial), and was dogged by allegations of bullying and sexual harassment.
Ross told the Herald today he has the 'past experience and skillset to be an effective advocate' for Howick residents and after a five-year hiatus, he is ready to take a stab at politics again.
The council wards of Ōrākei and Rodney are uncontested, which means Simpson and Greg Sayers are automatically re-elected.
Due to a surge in nominations received at noon, eligible nominees that weren't validated yesterday will appear on the final list of candidates to be published on Monday.
All the nominations remain subject to the Electoral Officer's final review and approval.
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