2019 Auckland mayoral election explained

Election Name:2019 Auckland mayoral election
Flag Image:Auckland Council pōhutukawa logo.png
Type:presidential
Previous Election:2016 Auckland mayoral election
Previous Year:2016
Election Date:12 October 2019
Next Election:2022 Auckland mayoral election
Next Year:2022
Registered:1,065,383
Turnout:367,796 (34.5%)
Candidate1:Phil Goff
Popular Vote1:180,146
Percentage1:49.0%
Party1:Independent
Candidate2:John Tamihere
Popular Vote2:80,903
Percentage2:22.0%
Party2:Independent politician
Mayor
Before Election:Phil Goff
After Election:Phil Goff

The 2019 Auckland mayoral election was held on 12 October 2019 to determine who would serve as Mayor of Auckland for the next three years. Nominations opened on 19 July 2019 and closed on 16 August 2019.[1] Incumbent Mayor Phil Goff won the election with 48% of the vote to secure a second term.[2] [3]

Background

Phil Goff was the incumbent mayor of Auckland. Goff became mayor at the 2016 election in which the previous mayor, Len Brown, did not stand. Goff announced in March 2019 that he would stand again.[4]

The election was conducted by postal vote, and used the first past the post vote system.[5]

Key dates

Key dates for the election were:[6]

Candidates

The 21 candidates for the mayoralty were:[7] [8]

!Name!Affiliation!Notes
Tricia CheelSTOP Trashing our PlanetCheel had previously run for mayor,[9] and had stood for Parliament for the Ban 1080 Party[10] and the Democrats for Social Credit.[11] She has opposed fluoride, vaccinations,[12] glyphosate,[13] and 1080 drops.
Michael CooteIndependent
David John FeistLiftNZ
Genevieve FordenoneForde's main issues were addressing climate change and regenerating nature.[14]
Phil GoffIndependentThe incumbent mayor, in the role since 2016. Goff was a Labour Party Member of Parliament 1981–1990 and 1993–2016, and was leader of the party for three years. He resigned as an MP after being elected as mayor and ran as an independent in this election.[15]
Alezix Henetinone
Jannaha HenrynoneA 21-year old candidate.[16]
John HongIndependentAlso known as Hong Cheng Chen, he immigrated from China in 2003[17] and ran for mayor for the first time.[18] A right-wing candidate, he had previously worked for Panuku Development Auckland, and was the chair of the New Zealand promotion committee for China's Belt and Road Initiative and a government relations adviser for the Chao San General Association of New Zealand.[19]
Ted JohnstonnoneA 59-year-old criminal barrister from South Auckland and former parliamentary candidate for The Opportunities Party. Policies included helping the poor and disadvantaged, stopping "secret meetings", protecting parks and the environment and building fast rail.
Susanna KrugerJustice for Families
Craig LordIndependentA media operator, this was Lord's first time standing in an election. Lord stated that he had no policies and that he considered the mayor to be a 'token' job, given the role of the 20 other councillors.[20]
Brendan Bruce MaddernIndependent
Thanh Binh NguyenIndependent
Phil O'ConnorChristians Against Abortion
Tom SainsburyIndependentA comedian running under an alter-ego of Fiona (though the name on the ballot was Tom Sainsbury). Fiona claimed in a video that running for mayor was a mistake she made when drunk.[21]
Glen SnelgarOld SkoolA right-wing candidate who sought to remove fuel taxes and lower rates.
Tadhg Tim StopfordThe Hemp FoundationStopford is the founder of The Hemp Foundation,[22] which seeks to promote cannabinoids for medicine and industrial uses.[23]
John TamihereJT for MayorTamihere was a Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2005, and held Cabinet positions.[24] He was not affiliated with Labour in this election.
Peter VaughannoneA numerologist,[25] Vaughan stated that pollution is the biggest issue facing Auckland, particularly landfills.
Annalucia VermuntCommunist League
Wayne YoungVirtual Homeless Community

Prospective candidates who did not stand

The following people indicated they might, or would, run for mayor in this election, but ultimately did not.

Policies and campaigning

The campaign included a number of debates. One debate between Goff, Tamihere, Lord, and Henry discussed issues such as infrastructure, public transport, climate change, parking, and inequality, among other topics.[34] The last debate was on 1 October.[35] Candidate Phil Goff compared the campaign to the previous one saying: "It's a lot different from last time, we had a lot of meetings last time, it's been a more aggressive campaign from his [John Tamihere's] side."[36]

Candidate John Tamihere faced controversy for using the term "Sieg Heil" during a debate. After Goff stated "We won't put up with the sort of nonsense that we get from racists coming into this country to tell us that multiculturalism doesn't work," Tamihere responded, "I say sieg heil to that." After the debate, Tamihere initially denied using the term, then stated his comments were a criticism of Goff's actions around a decision to bar controversial Canadian speakers Stefan Molyneux and Lauren Southern from using an Auckland Council venue in 2018, calling Goff "a dictator".[37]

Tamihere made a complaint over three social media posts posted by Phil Goff, but the complaints were rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority.[38] [39]

Some voting booklets contained two incorrect photographs, including showing mayoral candidate Tricia Cheel as a man.[40]

Endorsements

Phil Goff
John Tamihere

Results

By local board

Local board subdivisions won by Goff
Local board subdivision won by Lord
Source:[45]
Phil GoffJohn TamihereCraig LordJohn HongTed JohnstonOthersTotal
BoardSubdivision%%%%%%
Albert-EdenOwairaka 7,980 63.31 2,058 16.33 622 4.93 386 3.06 369 2.93 1189 9.43 12,604
Albert-EdenMaungawhau 7,561 58.36 2,630 20.3 495 3.82 762 5.88 423 3.27 1084 8.37 12,955
Aotea/GreatBarrier200 47.73 93 22.2 30 7.16 1 0.24 9 2.15 86 20.53 419
Devonport-Takapuna8,568 50.89 3,647 21.66 1,103 6.55 814 4.83 825 4.9 1,880 11.17 16,837
FranklinWaiuku 1,530 39.28 770 19.77 737 18.92 44 1.13 222 5.7 592 15.2 3,895
FranklinPukekohe 3,714 43.54 1,738 20.37 1,458 17.09 87 1.02 447 5.24 1,087 12.74 8,531
FranklinWairoa 3,027 45.77 1,509 22.82 899 13.59 98 1.48 326 4.93 755 11.42 6,614
Henderson-Massey10,240 42.83 6,480 27.1 2,100 8.78 1,095 4.58 808 3.38 3,185 13.32 23,908
Hibiscus and BaysHibiscus Coast 6,536 40.37 4,039 24.94 2,075 12.81 305 1.88 968 5.98 2,269 14.01 16,192
Hibiscus and BaysEast Coast Bays 5,731 44.01 2,825 21.7 1,176 9.03 786 6.04 823 6.32 1,680 12.9 13,021
HowickPakuranga 4,866 43.53 2,442 21.85 786 7.03 1,273 11.39 547 4.89 1,264 11.31 11,178
HowickHowick 5,525 43.77 2,878 22.8 1,061 8.4 1,118 8.86 678 5.37 1,364 10.8 12,624
HowickBotany 5,989 45.29 2647 20.02 669 5.06 1762 13.32 566 4.28 1,592 12.04 13,225
Kaipātiki10,066 48.94 3,990 19.4 1,802 8.76 1,194 5.8 780 3.79 2,738 13.31 20,570
Māngere-Ōtāhuhu6,578 54.37 2,855 23.6 388 3.21 156 1.29 403 3.33 1,719 14.21 12,099
Manurewa7,454 48.58 3,886 25.32 795 5.18 341 2.22 646 4.21 2,223 14.49 15,345
Maungakiekie-TāmakiMaungakiekie 4,157 57.95 1,361 18.97 399 5.56 249 3.47 298 4.15 710 9.9 7,174
Maungakiekie-TāmakiTāmaki 4,491 51.97 1,803 20.87 410 4.74 318 3.68 348 4.03 1,271 14.71 8,641
Ōrākei13,799 52.9 6,602 25.31 1,296 4.97 848 3.25 1,247 4.78 2,295 8.8 26,087
Ōtara-PapatoetoePapatoetoe 4,136 53.73 1,674 21.75 296 3.85 215 2.79 312 4.05 1,065 13.83 7,698
Ōtara-PapatoetoeOtara 2,527 51.81 1,304 26.74 80 1.64 78 1.6 188 3.85 700 14.35 4,877
Papakura5,285 47.91 2,575 23.34 992 8.99 207 1.88 498 4.51 1,474 13.36 11,031
Puketāpapa8,427 60.49 2,490 17.87 605 4.34 844 6.06 416 2.99 1,150 8.25 13,932
RodneyWellsford 308 20.37 365 24.14 570 37.7 16 1.06 58 3.84 195 12.9 1,512
RodneyWarkworth 2,499 36.2 1,793 25.97 1,256 18.19 53 0.77 359 5.2 943 13.66 6,903
RodneyKumeu 2,792 33.42 2,103 25.17 1,785 21.36 112 1.34 425 5.09 1,138 13.62 8,355
RodneyDairy Flat 609 34.48 509 28.82 226 12.8 79 4.47 130 7.36 213 12.06 1,766
Upper HarbourUpper Harbour 5,831 39.7 3,307 22.52 1,544 10.51 1,380 9.4 727 4.95 1,898 12.92 14,687
Waiheke1,799 54.88 608 18.55 218 6.65 13 0.4 178 5.43 462 14.09 3,278
Waitākere Ranges7,231 51.33 2,771 19.67 1,698 12.05 201 1.43 437 3.1 1,749 12.42 14,087
Waitematā11,342 61.46 3,535 19.16 678 3.67 374 2.03 658 3.57 1,867 10.12 18,454
Whau9,348 52.75 3,616 20.4 1,328 7.49 1,002 5.65 518 2.92 1,910 10.78 17,722
Total180,146 49.19 80,903 22.09 29,577 8.08 16,211 4.43 15,637 4.27 43,747 11.95 366,221

Turnout

Turnout was expected to be lower than in previous elections. Initial counts, while voting was still open, showed turnout to be lower compared with the same time in the 2016 election. The final turnout for Auckland was predicted to be around 35%.[46] [47]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About your 2019 local elections . 20 November 2018. 20 November 2018.
  2. Web site: Live: All results from the local government elections 2019 . 12 October 2019. 12 October 2019.
  3. News: Phil Goff wins a second term as Auckland Mayor.. The New Zealand Herald. 2019-10-12. 2019-10-12. dmy-all.
  4. News: Phil Goff seeks second term as Auckland mayor . 3 March 2019 . Stuff . 12 October 2019 .
  5. Web site: How to vote in the local elections. Auckland Council. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191001034816/https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/information-for-voters/Pages/how-to-vote-local-body-elections.aspx . 1 October 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  6. Web site: Race for the mayoralty: What you need to know . Radio NZ. 4 March 2019 . 4 March 2019 .
  7. News: Auckland local elections: Mayoral candidates officially announced. 16 August 2019. 17 August 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  8. Web site: Candidate List 10 September 2019. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190821013644/https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/Documents/final-candidate-list.pdf . 21 August 2019 . 3 October 2019.
  9. News: Auckland's mayoral also-rans bicker and squabble. 28 September 2016. Newshub. 1 October 2019. en.
  10. Web site: Anti-1080 campaigner says she's relieved at news of arrest . 14 October 2015. RNZ. en-nz. 1 October 2019.
  11. News: Northcote by-election – the results. 6 October 2018. Newshub. 1 October 2019. en.
  12. News: New video of Lance O'Sullivan clashing with anti-vaxxer emerges. 25 May 2017 . Newshub. 1 October 2019. en.
  13. Web site: Mayoral candidates: Meet the 18 trying to win the Auckland mayoralty. Stuff. en. 1 October 2019.
  14. Web site: Candidate information. Council. Auckland. Auckland Council. en. 3 October 2019.
  15. News: Phil Goff seeks second term as Auckland mayor . 3 March 2019.
  16. Web site: Auckland mayoral race: 21-year-old to run. Niall. Todd. 17 August 2019. Stuff. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190816203205/https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/115078076/auckland-mayoral-race-21yearold-to-run . 16 August 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  17. Web site: John Hong Independent Auckland Mayoral Candidate. John Hong 2019. en. 3 October 2019. 3 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191003010205/https://www.johnhong4mayor.com/. dead.
  18. News: Auckland mayoralty: Four lesser-known candidates' present their ideas. 18 September 2019. Newshub. 3 October 2019 . en.
  19. News: Beyond John Hong's political debut . Tim . Murphy . . 11 October 2019 . 16 November 2019.
  20. Web site: Meet the Candidates: 'Grassroots' Auckland mayoral hopeful Craig Lord attacks higher-profile rivals. Truebridge. Nick. 25 July 2019. Stuff. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724233358/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/114286540/meet-the-candidates-grassroots-auckland-mayoral-hopeful-craig-lord-attacks-higherprofile-rivals . 24 July 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  21. News: Comedian Tom Sainsbury has thrown his hat into the Auckland mayoral race. 17 August 2019. 17 August 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  22. Web site: The Hemp Foundation / Our Team. thehempfoundation. en. 3 October 2019.
  23. Web site: The Hemp Foundation / Objectives. thehempfoundation. en. 3 October 2019.
  24. Web site: John Tamihere confirms run for Auckland mayoralty. 26 January 2019. Newshub – newshub.co.nz. 25 January 2019.
  25. Web site: Numerologist Peter Vaughan runs for Auckland mayoralty. Stuff. en. 3 October 2019.
  26. News: Veteran politician Mike Lee might challenge Phil Goff for Auckland mayoralty. 7 May 2019. 8 May 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  27. News: Another hat in the ring: John Lehmann confirms bid for Auckland mayoralty. 7 May 2019. 5 March 2019. The New Zealand Herald.
  28. News: Group invites Phil Goff to debate free speech with Pauline Hanson at a council-owned venue. 7 May 2019. 10 August 2018. Newshub – newshub.co.nz.
  29. News: Lime e-scooter glitch: Injured Auckland man calls on Mayor Phil Goff to take action. Lawton. Nicole. 14 February 2019. 28 February 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  30. News: National MP Simon O'Connor considering a tilt at the Auckland mayoralty . Bernard . Orsman . . 21 November 2018 . 26 November 2018.
  31. News: John Palino confirms another tilt at Auckland mayoralty . Harrison . Christian . . 25 November 2018 . 25 November 2018.
  32. News: John Palino withdraws from Auckland mayoral race. Radio New Zealand. 12 August 2019.
  33. Web site: John Palino withdraws from Auckland mayoral race.
  34. Web site: Stuff Auckland mayoral debate recap: Polished Goff smothers opposition with stats, calls out 'Trumpism'. 2 September 2019. Stuff. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190903203234/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/local-body-elections/115462373/stuff-auckland-mayoral-debate-live-phil-goff-john-tamihere-jannaha-henry-and-craig-lord-face-off . 3 September 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  35. Web site: Auckland mayoral race: No worries about low voter turnout. Stuff. en. 1 October 2019.
  36. Web site: Mayoral candidates worried about voter engagement. 2019-10-10. RNZ. en-nz. 2019-10-10.
  37. Web site: Auckland mayoral candidate John Tamihere's Nazi slogan 'utterly unacceptable'. Truebridge. Nick. 18 September 2019. Stuff. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190930205600/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/115890375/auckland-mayoral-candidate-john-tamihere-uses-nazi-salute-during-debate . 30 September 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  38. Web site: Auckland Council Election: Voting trend remains at an all-time low. Niall. Todd. 28 September 2019. Stuff. en. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191001022152/https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/116167582/auckland-council-election-voting-trend-remains-at-an-alltime-low . 1 October 2019 . 1 October 2019.
  39. Web site: Complaint number 19/356. ASA Complaints Board. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191001034816/https://www.asa.co.nz//backend/documents/2019/09/24/19356.pdf . 1 October 2019 .
  40. News: Electoral Board blunder puts wrong candidate photos on Auckland booklets. 22 September 2019. 1 October 2019. en-NZ. 1170-0777.
  41. News: Labour endorses Phil Goff for 2019 Auckland mayoralty . Todd . Niall . . 20 December 2018 . 20 December 2018.
  42. Web site: https://www.facebook.com/phil.goff.akld/videos/2321329277985112/?__xts__[0=68.ARBXaPxwlNtG1ael7Y-BHWTNWyqlg-gRHW2rVgD5hCY3w95RI8LavPFdJMCs8e2LRTMnV_GhxywiVIeaPz2Ulsgnfp7mAuHJPF2dOS3Fc38tKdR4EDkqwey3zKicK6eIbjvRD-L-hyeKkZxv_qktLuaMyMoqFjSDvrk1z08WOXO1sz1qfVfAy2NQw_1denRYU8KAll_fjpKBk4MmSqGpXRr2M-OdfFWgLTPxd8mKDaibSgM5J3huRaHHi1e_V4RRbRSpwFmxJFNTyrnynraGvB4TvY2GY5xB4zZ1MgnS3XIRAIQG7W_PiJOr1D4d5-qC9FB2tx4QgjCgdRGcIBlKeFycbcPQCC7b0EQ&__tn__=-R David Tua ]. Goff . Phil . 9 August 219 . Facebook . 11 August 2019.
  43. News: John Tamihere and Christine Fletcher team up to challenge Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. 25 January 2019. 26 January 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  44. News: Former Auckland City Mayor John Banks decides against fresh campaign. 26 July 2019. 26 July 2019. Stuff.co.nz.
  45. Web site: 2019 local elections final results – Mayoral candidates total votes by local board/subdivision . . https://web.archive.org/web/20191024104500/https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/elections/Documents/2019-local-elections-results-mayoral-candidates-total-votes.pdf . 24 October 2019.
  46. Web site: Winners, losers, big losers, and gigantic losers from the 2019 local elections. Donnell. Hayden. 2019-10-13. The Spinoff. 2019-10-15.
  47. Web site: Preliminary voter turnout 2019. www.lgnz.co.nz. en. 2019-10-15.