When vision lacks so does the reason for people to vote
Q+A over on TV One will have by the release of this post (or shortly after it) given the latest poll results for the Auckland Mayoralty race and it makes for not very pretty reading for one candidate.
These were the results from the Q+A poll:
A Q+A Kantar poll of 570 voters (removing undecideds, non-voters, and those refusing to vote) found 35% of support for Wayne Brown and 29% of support for Efeso Collins after Viv Beck withdrew from the Mayoral race; the poll had a margin of error of 3.1%. * A Q+A Kantar poll of 540 voters from a week earlier had found 29% of support for Efeso Collins and 24% of support for Wayne Brown.
TV One
Stalled at 29% despite two candidates from the Right dropping out and that stalling has been there for pretty much most of the campaign. This late in the game we have two problems:
- No Candidate has gotten over 50% unlike Len Brown and Phil Goff
- Efeso Collins stalling at the high 20s and not breaking away into the 30s or 40s with votes returning
A 6% gap in the polls does not show a see-saw but a breakaway and one that is hard to recover from unless either voters get motivated or the poll was completely off course. Now I doubt the second is the case but I certainly believe the former or rather lack thereof and when I saw this last night it was definitely the lack thereof with the former.
Sure, that flyer is flash but it says absolutely nothing beyond Free Public Transport. The rest is nothing but a word salad that with give National leader Chris Luxon a run for his money is saying stuff but saying nothing. None of those bullet points convey a sense of vision, a sense of planning and a sense of action to the day-to-day intricacies of the city for residents, visitors and businesses alike. Even Goff’s neo-liberal clap-trap of Value for Money, and More with Less articulated points to the voters and were carried through the Committees. What I see in that flyer is stuff the technocracy deals with not the Governing Body.
Lack of articulating a clear vision
If you are going to run for Mayor you need to articulate a very clear vision that will impact the lives of residents and businesses. If I was Mayor these would be my key points I would take into the Mayoralty and the Governing Body of Auckland Council would answer these key questions:
- How to move about efficiently
- Where do I live (the community)
- Freedom to do business
- Green and Civic Infrastructure up to scratch
- Accountability on failures
This brings it to MY VISION for Auckland:
- How to move about efficiently: adopt the 15-minute City
- Where do I live (the community): BAN Special Character Areas and liberalise the Unitary Plan especially around Mixed Use being as of right, and allowing Perimeter Block developments
- Freedom to do business: see above and below
- Green and Civic Infrastructure up to scratch: speaks for itself given continued muddling around here and the fact the obsolete 2016 Open Space Policy Document is NOT fit for purpose (and never was). Land sales would also be banned as well given once land is gone you lose leverage for further CAPEX.
- Accountability on failures: Automatic removals of those who fail to do their job starting with the Auckland Transport Board and CEO
And this is where Wayne Brown has it right in wanting to clear out the Board and Efeso’s silence has been completely wrong. Efeso should have come out and said for the Board and CE to either shape up or ship outcome Day 1 of the new Mayoralty. Why? Let’s show some examples of failure:
And more
- Continued complete stalling on safe cycle infrastructure after two cyclists were killed in quick succession
- Still denying Royal Oak Roundabout is a problem
- And the worst the of them all: the road death toll between 2019 and 2021 doubling from 28 to 63
You can see why Wayne despite his brashness would resonate with voters on that issue.
One last thing; the below presser goes against everything taught in regards campaigning:
Efeso Collins Optimistic After See-Sawing Polls, Criticises Lack of Plan from Wayne Brown
After the latest poll from Q&A, Mayoral candidate Efeso Collins has reiterated the need for Auckland to turn out to vote for a more positive future.
“The last few days have seen see-sawing polls, with some support moving from Leo Molloy and Viv Beck to Wayne Brown, but this remains a close race and I will keep working around the clock in the days ahead to make sure voters turn out and undecided voters are aware of the positive vision I’m offering for this city.
“I’m gratified that the issues discussed in the Q&A debate are the issues I have raised in this campaign – like transport and housing – and that a majority of Aucklanders support my flagship policy of fares-free public transport.
“It’s simply not good enough that Wayne Brown could not name any costing for his sole policy of installing transponders for traffic lights, and confirms to voters that he really has no plan to make Auckland a better place.”
-ends-
The polls are not see-sawing anymore, they are breaking away for one candidate and showing a complete stall for the other. But the main problems which are complete and utter no-no’s are going negative against the opponent this late in the game and mentioning the opponent by name. Going negative shows, you are getting desperate, mentioning them legitimises them and their policies for others to look up.
In going back over this and as much as this is on Central Labour and the Finance Minister I hope the Technocracy is ready for what was going to be inevitable for a three-year stint; working on your own with an absent Governing Body!
Talking Southern Auckland 