logo
Desley Simpson endorses Wayne Brown for Auckland Mayor

Desley Simpson endorses Wayne Brown for Auckland Mayor

RNZ Newsa day ago

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson.
Photo:
RNZ / Jessica Hopkins
Auckland's deputy mayor has officially endorsed Wayne Brown in his re-election bid, after months of speculation she would run against him.
In a joint press conference a short time ago Desley Simpson said she endorsed Brown's campaign for a second term as mayor.
Desley Simpson said she had ruled out running for mayor in the October local body elections a long time ago.
But in April Simpson told RNZ she was
still undecided
on running for mayor, after she confirmed earlier this year she was mulling it over.
The changes Brown had made for Auckland had been significant for the city and praised his vision for the city, she said.
Both denied they had ever shared harsh words with each other but agreed there has been disagreements.
Brown said if re-elected this would be his last term.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Chair refuses to apologise, rejects use of ‘kia ora' in council email
Chair refuses to apologise, rejects use of ‘kia ora' in council email

RNZ News

time3 hours ago

  • RNZ News

Chair refuses to apologise, rejects use of ‘kia ora' in council email

Environment Southland has eight catchment committees across the region. Photo: ODT/Supplied A chair of a southern council group is unrepentant about his behaviour at a recent meeting, which was dubbed "disrespectful" by a council leader. Mataura catchment liaison committee chair Hugh Gardyne has also rejected the use of 'kia ora' in an email reprimanding him for his actions. The committee Gardyne oversees is one of eight in the region that supports Environment Southland with local river work. In May, Gardyne gave a blunt presentation to councillors, alleging catchment management was in "a state of paralysis" under the watch of the council chief executive and that communication was ineffective with the general manager in charge. He was shut down at the end of his talk, when he mentioned an abatement notice later revealed to be one [ issued by Environment Southland against itself]. A letter from Environment Southland chair Nicol Horrell on 28 May warned Gardyne of his behaviour, saying parts of his presentation were factually incorrect and disrespectful. "My intention is both to correct your understanding of the facts, and to inform you that councillors will not tolerate any criticism levelled at staff in public meetings or disrespectful behaviour," Horrell wrote. He added it was incorrect to suggest catchment work was in a state of paralysis and accused Gardyne of not having all the facts. "I would be interested to know from where you are getting your information." The letter ended with a suggestion that Gardyne apologise to the chief executive and manager in question, but Gardyne has defended his actions, saying his criticism was about questioning professional ability. "It doesn't, in my opinion, deserve a response or an apology." Hugh Gardyne chairs the Mataura catchment liaison committee, which helps Environment Southland with river management. Photo: ODT/Supplied Gardyne said he would speak at council again in the future and the response from the general manager had been "great", following the presentation. Separately, he also took exception with the use of 'kia ora' in the email sent by Horrell, which delivered the reprimanding letter. Gardyne requested he instead be addressed with 'hello' or 'dear'. Horrell told Local Democracy Reporting using the te reo Māori greeting was commonplace and he didn't think its use would be Gardyne's biggest issue. "I would have thought that that's almost a wee bit racist." In a letter back to Horrell, Gardyne doubled down on perceived issues with river management and questioned whether the chair's concerns were shared by other members. Environment Southland oversees eight catchment liaison committees, which help the council develop annual maintenance programmes and budgets, as well as provide a local point of contact. Gardyne has been involved with the Mataura group since the early 1990s. Last month, the council said it was working to improve communication with its catchment committees. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

The Panel with Leonie Freeman and Mike Willlams Part 1
The Panel with Leonie Freeman and Mike Willlams Part 1

RNZ News

time5 hours ago

  • RNZ News

The Panel with Leonie Freeman and Mike Willlams Part 1

Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipa-Clarke was among those to perform a haka, at Parliament, after the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill, on 14 November, 2024. Photo: RNZ/ Samuel Rillstone Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Leonie Freeman and Mike Williams. They discuss the fallout from Te Pāti Māori haka protest; Trump vs Musk: grab the popcorn, and the issues around political party affiliation in local politics.

The House: Parliamentary week achieves two out of three goals
The House: Parliamentary week achieves two out of three goals

RNZ News

time5 hours ago

  • RNZ News

The House: Parliamentary week achieves two out of three goals

Still, two out of three isn't bad. Photo: 123RF While Parliament's week was dominated by its final event - Thursday's debate on the report from the Privileges Committee into a haka performed in the chamber - the rest of the week focussed on other business that, while more mundane, was still worthy of note. The Government appeared to have three objectives for this week in the house. Crucial to the administration's continuance, the first goal was to successfully complete the initial debate on the budget. The long initial budget debate could no longer dribble on over weeks, so the house spent six hours of the week completing the second reading debate, which is the first debate a budget gets. The reading was accomplished and so the Government continues. This may sound silly, but a Government cannot survive, if the house votes against its budget. Agreeing to vote for budget and taxation bills are the 'supply' portion of the 'confidence and supply' agreement that is the foundation of any coalition agreement. The budget focus now turns to select committees and what is called 'Scrutiny Week', when ministers appear before various subject committees to defend their budget plans. Scrutiny Week begins on 16 June. A second objective was possibly not in earlier plans for this week - to finally polish off the bills originally slated for completion two weeks ago during budget week urgency. Then, the Leader of the House had asked the house to accord urgency for 12 bills the Government hoped to progress through 30 stages of parliamentary debate. The plan was ambitious and it did not succeed. Despite day-long sittings until midnight Saturday (when urgency must end), only two bills were completed, others were untouched, and 13 stages were unfinished or unstarted. This week's plan for the house had MPs returning to the well for more of the same. Just like last time, progress was at a snail's pace. After quite a few hours, the Government had slugged its way through just a few more stages. The plan was slowed to a crawl by bills' committee stages (formally known as the Committee of the Whole House). Committee stages are a crucial way for MPs to publicly interrogate the minister in charge of a bill. With patience, they can tease out a lot about both a government's development of legislation and its intended real-world impacts. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi moved the vote on his own punishment. Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Because the committee stage has no set duration, it is also a way for the opposition to make the Government really work for progress. The Government did achieve progress on the bills left incomplete from budget week, but again, it was probably not what was hoped for. They will need to come back yet again in three weeks to have a third crack. The Opposition is showing itself to be quite effective at the filibuster. The Government's third objective was to have the debate on the recent Privileges Committee Report on three Te Pāti Māori MPs done by the week's end. As Leader of the House Chris Bishop said in re-initiating the debate: "My encouragement would be for everybody to finish this debate today. "Have a robust debate, but let's end this issue once and for all, and deal with the issue and get back to the major issues facing this country." That wish was fulfilled with apparent agreement from across the house. As 6pm neared, the MP who eventually moved that a vote be taken was Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi. The frankly fascinating debate on the report will be reported separately. - RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Enjoy our articles or podcast at RNZ. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store