Aucklanders elect Councillors standing for fiscal boundaries

A win for ratepayers

The preliminary results of the Auckland Council election represent a win for Auckland ratepayers and the end of Len Brown’s regime of reckless spending and empire-building.

We are pleased that at least 9 members who signed our Ratepayer Protection Pledge have been elected onto the new Council. Add to this the election of Auckland Future’s Denise Krum (having signed up to Auckland Future’s version of the pledge), and proven fiscal-conservative Daniel Newman, the new Council should enjoy a majority of 12 fiscally conservative members in a Council of 20, should Grant Gillon win his neck and neck battle in North Shore.

The results are a stark representation of how fed up Aucklanders were with the Len Brown regime, and their wasteful spending priorities and rates hikes. We have campaigned tirelessly for an end to this regime, and today we achieved that result.

We are particularly pleased to see the election of Greg Sayers in Rodney. The Ratepayers’ Alliance put considerable effort into exposing former Councillor Penny Webster, who was Len Brown’s chair of the Council’s Strategy and Finance Committee. Clearly this campaign struck a chord with Rodney ratepayers.

The Ratepayer Protection Pledge prevents those candidates from voting for any measures which increase the total average burden of rates, levies, and other compulsory Council charges, more than 2% per annum. Over the coming three years, the 16,000-plus members of the Ratepayers’ Alliance will be ensuring that these pledge is upheld.

Candidates backed by the Ratepayers’ Alliance elected onto the Council (based on preliminary results):

• Albany – John Watson and Wayne Walker
• Albert-Eden-Roskill – Christine Fletcher
• Howick – Sharon Stewart and Dick Quax
• Manurewa-Papakura – Daniel Newman (Fiscal Conservative) and John Walker (agreed to pledge)
• Maungakiekie-Tāmaki – Denise Krum (Auckland Future)
• North Shore – Grant Gillion neck and neck
• Ōrākei – Desley Simpson
• Rodney – Greg Sayers
• Waitematā and Gulf – Mike Lee