What it could have been like under Mayor John Banks – Guest Contribution

 

Note: Please no trolling or flame comments in the comment box. This is just a look from a reader who submitted what things could have been like under a different regime.

 

The first term of the Auckland Council, an alternate history
John Banks took the call and broke out into a wide smile. He had secured a slim victory over left-leaning Manukau Mayor Len Brown, of only 12,000 votes in a hotly contested and negative, acrimonious campaign that saw mud thrown in all directions. Banks over his Queen St focus, Brown over his South Auckland roots. Banks over his business contacts, Brown over his credit card spend. A well funded campaign gave Banks a whisker of an advantage over Len Brown, whose union backed on-ground campaign impressed those who saw it in operation.

Banks, in an effort to bring Auckland together, appointed Len Brown as chairman and director of ATEED, as well as appointing other left-wing acolytes into respectable positions into the new council. In his own Mayoral supercity office, he appointed Michelle Boag as his chief of staff, Bill Ralston as his Communications Director and stacked his office with other National Party notables. Deputy Mayor Chris Fletcher and Chairman of Finance Dick Quax quickly assumed power in the council chambers, with newcomers Cameron Brewer, Calum Penrose and Michael Goudie also gaining important roles.

The NZ Herald turned aggressive quickly, granting Banks a limited honeymoon before asking questions about the salaries of those in his office. The contractor arrangements were repeatedly raised throughout December 2010, after the council reconvened and got down to business.

The news was mixed. Despite some significant savings in the price of water, spend-ups and promises by the outgoing council were going to massively impact on the rates bill for the new city. Banks and his team set about cutting, deferring and cancelling various projects that had been promised by the outgoing Waitakere, Manukau and North Shore Cities, causing some discontent. However, enough expectations were set that rates would be kept with council inflation, and that this meant some significant financial alteration.

On the unitary plan front, Mayor Banks applied lessons from his second term as Auckland City Mayor, and focused heavily on heritage protection, to the pleasant surprise of many in suburbs like Howick, Devonport and other villages across the Auckland region. Less happy were larger developers in Auckland, particularly in South Auckland, who were fighting for more release of land for commercial and residential redevelopment. Prominent businessmen like Sir Noel Robinson, and the Stevenson’s Quarrying family were hotly resistant to proposals by the Banks council to only slowly release land in the south.

In transport, the Banks Mayoralty confirmed it would only plan for a city rail link corridor, it would not seek funding until central government indicated it was prepared to make a contribution. Left wing councillors like Cathy Casey, Mike Lee and Sandra Coney railed against the gutlessness of the council and hostility towards new rail projects. That being said, the new Auckland Transport diligently progressed the electrification of Auckland’s rail network, progressed new stations and improved service and timetables. Bus networks were further developed, and ferry services were promised a massive leap with the opening up of terminals and wharves in Takapuna and the East Coast Bays.

Rugby World Cup was a huge success, apart from the opening night riots that occurred in the CBD over liquor licensing issues and inadequate policing of the district. The images of snarling drunken English and Australian hooligans throwing bottles at each other made the covers of The Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald, prompting a joint press conference held by John Key and John Banks. Police and army presence in key spots around Auckland were doubled and booze buses sent in from around the top half of the North Island to help Auckland deal with its inadequate policing.

Then out-of-the-blue, in late 2011, John Banks was side-swiped by allegations made by a quirky and eccentric German software millionaire. Kim DotCom, a former hacker turned software entrepreneur, who alleged numerous donations made to the Banks campaign that were not declared. After enormous public conjecture, a police investigation and a private prosecution mounted by Penny Bright, Banks was found to have nothing to answer for and not guilty, but heavily damaged as a political identity after that. It was clear that Banks, should he contest the Mayoralty again, would be almost certain to lose.

The Ports of Auckland emerged as a crisis in January 2012 when Ports management indicated a significant frustration over the inability to reform industrial relations. The Banks Mayoralty significantly backed the Ports of Auckland board and management against the Maritime Union, which saw Quay St and Britomart blocked off by the Maritime Union and affiliates, preventing traffic and commuters from using the Britomart station or commuting through Quay St. The corresponding traffic snarl ups over a two month period forced Banks into considering a wild card after witnessing the greatly aggravated the Auckland population.  Banks called the government into convening a “NZ Inc” approach into the management of the two major ports for New Zealand, inviting the Ports of Tauranga to offer to takeover the management contract for the Ports of Auckland, including supply of labour. After agreeing to terms, the new structure saw significant business of the Ports of Auckland shift to Northland and Tauranga respectively, enabling Banks to free up Bledisloe, Cook and Marsden Wharf for public redevelopment over the coming decade.

Public uproar over the terms of the Eden Park Redevelopment arose in early 2012, when the ownership of the stadium fell into Auckland Council’s hands after the Eden Park board acknowledged it was struggling to meet its bills. Concurrent with Eden Park’s headaches, Mt Smart Stadium was also struggling to meet its costs with the Warriors failing to attract sufficient punters. A tough decision was made to close Mt Smart, and move the Warriors to Eden Park, which was to become the joint home for Rugby and Rugby League in Auckland. Test cricket was moved to Grafton United, with one-day internationals remaining at Eden Park. Rugby League fans were initially heartbroken to leave Mt Smart, but the heavy promotions of Eden Park with a number of joint billings eventually saw Eden Park prosper by the end of the 2012 season.

Mt Smart land was later declared high intensification residential and mixed use development space, was broken up into parcels and sold off to developers, causing an uproar in Penrose and Otahuhu, but meeting significant approval from most Aucklanders on affordable housing concerns.

For all that, the Auckland Supercity was ticking along. The rubbish was collected, water was being delivered, events were being held around the region with competency and even flair. Some key projects were delivered like the Viaduct Events Centre and the Auckland Art Gallery improvements, greatly lifting the cultural soul of the city.

The 2013 New Year heralded in some changes, not the least of which was an announcement in February of 2013 that Banks would not be contesting the Mayoralty due to a desire to return to family and business life. The news finally saw some significant goodwill from the NZ Herald, who had been aggressively tough on the Mayor following on from the DotCom scandals.

Len Brown immediately resigned from ATEED to announce his bid to challenge again for the Mayoralty. This time, polling showed Brown significantly ahead of a theoretical centre-right challenger, by as much as 30%. Promising action on the city-rail loop and community funding for local boards which Banks had been tardy at delivering on, Brown stormed into contention as the man to beat.

First time Councillor Cameron Brewer started an exploratory committee but quietly shelved plans after difficulties in fundraising and finding support outside of the Auckland isthmus. Political novice, restaurateur and reality TV star John Palino declared his hand in May, announcing his bid for the Mayoralty to some initial fanfare but fading quickly in the polls behind Brown after flubbing some basic policy questions.

Pressure started to build on Maurice Williamson, National Government Cabinet Minister to announce, after he shot to international fame on the back of a marriage equality campaign, granting full rights to gays and lesbians for marriage. Williamson was whisked away on a private jet to the USA where he was feted by a number of US  media who thrived on a libertarian New Zealander in a conservative political party being gay friendly. While interviewed by prominent talk show host Ellen Degeneres, Williamson declared his desire to run for the Auckland Mayoralty, which catapulted him fairly into contention when he arrived home.

The Brown versus Williamson campaign was closely fought, with a stronger than usual National Party involvement in local government. However, the major issues facing Auckland were ultimately issues that favoured the Len Brown camp. A clear contrast on the city rail loop emerged, one that broadly helped Len Brown as the public transport champion.

With two days to go until the close of the election in October 2013, the 3 of the 4 polls showed Len Brown ahead of Maurice Williamson, but only within the margin of error. One poll put Williamson ahead by ten points. With polling turnout showing depressed turnout in Waitakere and South Auckland, with higher than expected turnout in Orakei, North Shore and Howick, Brown was potentially facing a re-run of 2010, being pipped at the post due to unfavourable turnout. Hurting Maurice was the residual support for John Palino, who refused to bow out until the final week of the campaign, but was too late to be struck from the ballot or result.

Then, as Saturday at midday ticked over, the phone call from the returning officer came through to Len Brown. He collected himself, swiped answer on his iPhone, spoke briefly, and broke into a wide smile.

 

 

We await the results of these elections and what the 2013-2016 term will bring to Auckland.

As of a final note check Orsman’s latest piece on the Elections:

Super City elections: Papers so far point to low poll

By Bernard Orsman 5:30 AM Thursday Oct 10, 2013

 

With just two days to go until voting ends for the Auckland Council, the final turnout is heading towards the 37.3 per cent return recorded in 2007 across the region.

By yesterday, 26.13 per cent of postal voting papers had been returned, compared with 39.4 per cent on the same day in 2010.

Three years ago, voters had the novelty of the first ballot for the new Super City and a spirited mayoral contest between Manukau mayor Len Brown and Auckland City mayor John Banks.

The final return was 50.5 per cent, well up on the 37.3 per cent figure in 2007.

This year’s election has been thrown off track by the America’s Cup and a limp mayoral contest between Mr Brown and right-wing rival John Palino.

From today, people can drop their voting documents in ballot boxes in all public libraries, the electoral office at 45 Queen St and eight council offices at [read the rest over at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11137664 ]

 

One can only wonder such things