Latest news with #KerrinLeoni
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Auckland's top mayoral candidates to be questioned by voters
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. Photo: NZ Herald / Dean Purcell Auckland voters will have the opportunity to hear from the main mayoral candidates for the city's top job, after uncertainty that any mayoral debates would be held . Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has agreed to share the stage with Councillor Kerrin Leoni, who is fighting for his job this local body election . The two mayoral candidates confirmed to RNZ they would attend Grey Power North Shore's 'Let's Talk About Auckland' event on 19 September in Northcote. However organiser and Grey Power president Trish Deans told RNZ their event was not a debate. Each candidate would have 7 to 10 minutes each to make a speech. Then they would take questions from the floor. Councillor Kerrin Leoni. Photo: Supplied / NZ Herald "We want to hear as residents of this local area what the mayor and the other candidate, Kerrin Leoni, the serious contenders, think about Auckland, our problems, and how we solve those things," Deans said. She said the mayor confirmed he would participate on Friday last week. "It's just fabulous to get our Mayor and Kerrin. Our audience, we've paid our rates for years, and we just love our city. "We've got to hear the direction of Auckland, that's the thing that's worrying most of us." She said they only invited Brown and Leoni due to time restrictions. "There are just too many candidates for one particular meeting. Our audience wants to hear the main contenders. Kerrin and the mayor just stood out." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni releases fiscal policy
Auckland Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni is the main contender to incumbent mayor Wayne Brown. Photo: Supplied / NZ Herald Auckland Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni has released her fiscal policy, after mistakenly telling media it would be announced on Sunday. The Auckland councillor and main contender to incumbent mayor Wayne Brown unveiled her 'Value for Money' Fiscal Plan on Tuesday afternoon. A key part of her plan is a "ratepayer shield" policy, which would require 75 percent council majority or a public referendum to be held before the council sells any of its strategic assets. Under Mayor Brown's leadership, the council sold its stake in Auckland Airport in 2024. She committed to saving the council $100 million by cutting spending on consultants by 40 percent and bringing more services in-house. "My plan is simple: protect what we own, spend smarter, not harder, and invest in the basics that make life better for Auckland families. We'll cut the waste, starting with the millions spent on consultants and not the services you rely on," she said. "This isn't about spending more or spending less, it's about spending smart. Every dollar saved on consultants is a dollar we can invest in fixing that pothole on your street or keeping your local pool open." Leoni pledged to cap residential rate increases at or below inflation after year two of her term. "Wayne Brown promised to fix Auckland, but under his watch, rates have gone up 21.7 percent, city debt has increased by over a billion dollars, and he still sold our airport shares," she said. "Aucklanders deserve better than selling the family silver while still raising their rates." Leoni said Auckland was facing an infrastructure crisis and she would prioritise fixing roads, upgrading stormwater to prevent flooding, and stopping raw sewage from polluting beaches and harbours. She said Auckland generated 38 percent of the country's GDP but was getting "short-changed" when it came to investment. She said as mayor, she would push the government to return the GST it charges on rates to the council, to get funding for infrastructure, something Brown had also advocated for . Brown has been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland mayoral candidate promises key policy release after no show
Kerrin Leoni says she will release her fiscal policy plan this week. Photo: Supplied / NZ Herald A contender for Auckland's mayoralty is promising to release a key policy this week after a confusion over a no-show over the weekend. On Friday, a press release sent out by Kerrin Leoni's campaign team stated the Auckland councillor, and main contender to incumbent mayor Wayne Brown, would release her fiscal policy plan at the Avondale Markets that weekend. " Kerrin Leoni will release her fiscal policies at the Avondale Markets on Sunday at 10am," it said. But when the day came, she was nowhere to be seen at the West Auckland market, and there was no mention of it elsewhere. When approached by RNZ for comment, Leoni chalked it up to miscommunication. "We had originally intended to go [to the market], but we had not announced it as an event. "Over the weekend, we had a number of competing issues that came up. We had our hoardings go up over the weekend, and I actually experienced a difficult situation with one of the hoardings that went up." Leoni would not elaborate on what the difficult situation was. She said the announcement was not promoted anywhere and was only mentioned in a press release to media. "There was no one that I'm aware of at that event." She said she would personally handle inviting reporters to policy announcements going forward. "That miscommunication will not be happening again. I'll be leading those invites going forward." She said she would announce her fiscal policy in the next few days at an event for media. "We've spent a lot of time working on these policies, and I look forward to releasing them this week. "As a qualified economist, I have a master's in economics and international politics, fiscal policy is very important to me and will be at the centre of my campaign." The announcement was included in the same press release that criticised Mayor Wayne Brown for not committing to any candidate debates which was first reported by RNZ last week. "I think Brown wants a low turnout this election so he can simply cruise to victory," Leoni said. Speaking to RNZ on Monday, she doubled down on her calls for the mayor to debate her . "Having policies on a website versus being able to debate those policies in public are two different things." Wayne Brown's campaign team declined to comment when approached by RNZ. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland mayoral candidate promises key policy release after blunder
Kerrin Leoni says she will release her fiscal policy plan this week. Photo: Supplied/ Labour Party A contender for Auckland's mayoralty is promising to release a key policy this week after an embarrassing campaign blunder over the weekend. On Friday, a press release sent out by Kerrin Leoni's campaign team stated the Auckland councillor, and main contender to incumbent mayor Wayne Brown, would release her fiscal policy plan at the Avondale Markets that weekend. " Kerrin Leoni will release her fiscal policies at the Avondale Markets on Sunday at 10am," it said. But when the day came, she was nowhere to be seen at the West Auckland market, and there was no mention of it elsewhere. When approached by RNZ for comment, Leoni chalked it up to miscommunication. "We had originally intended to go [to the market], but we had not announced it as an event. "Over the weekend, we had a number of competing issues that came up. We had our hoardings go up over the weekend, and I actually experienced a difficult situation with one of the hoardings that went up." Leoni would not elaborate on what the difficult situation was. She said the announcement was not promoted anywhere and was only mentioned in a press release to media. "There was no one that I'm aware of at that event." She said she would personally handle inviting reporters to policy announcements going forward. "That miscommunication will not be happening again. I'll be leading those invites going forward." She said she would announce her fiscal policy in the next few days at an event for media. "We've spent a lot of time working on these policies, and I look forward to releasing them this week. "As a qualified economist, I have a master's in economics and international politics, fiscal policy is very important to me and will be at the centre of my campaign." The announcement was included in the same press release that criticised Mayor Wayne Brown for not committing to any candidate debates which was first reported by RNZ last week. "I think Brown wants a low turnout this election so he can simply cruise to victory," Leoni said. Speaking to RNZ on Monday, she doubled down on her calls for the mayor to debate her . "Having policies on a website versus being able to debate those policies in public are two different things." Wayne Brown's campaign team declined to comment when approached by RNZ. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
01-08-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Wayne Brown aims for re-election, targets councillors in Auckland race
Brown's main competition for the mayoralty is coming from the first-term councillor Kerrin Leoni, but he's also focused on securing strong control of the 21-member council. After Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson signed up for Fix Auckland in May after mulling a challenge for the top job, Victoria Short and Gary Brown came forward to stand for the two council seats in the Albany ward. Brown has little time for the sitting councillors, John Watson and Wayne Walker, whom he dubs the 'Albanians' behind their backs. Likewise, he's tired of the two Manukau councillors, Lotu Fuli and Alf Filipaina. The two Fix Auckland candidates are Luke Mealamu and Vicky Hau. Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu, owns a large security firm and Hau is the Māngere Town Centre manager. Short and Gary Brown are both members of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board, and Gary Brown contested the mayoral race in 2022, finishing fifth. Brown said the Fix Auckland candidates for 'Albania' and Manukau were four 'exceptionally good people' who had approached him wanting to be councillors and believed in the direction he was taking Auckland. Fix Auckland candidates Viky Hau and Luke Mealamu, brother of former All Black Keven Mealamu. He said the councillors from 'Albania' and Manukau had not voted for fixing Auckland and consistently voted against anything that reduces money. Walker said Brown had gone out of his way to run him and John Watson down and didn't like opposition around the council table. 'John and I will run a vigorous campaign and always take the prospect of competition seriously, and that's a healthy situation. Because of the effort we put in, we get a lot of support, and that really helps,' he said. The pair have recorded big wins in Albany against all-comers since 2013. At the 2022 election, they were 5000 votes clear of Short, who came third. There was no doubt, Fuli said, that the mayor was targeting herself and Filipaina. 'I think that is because of the charge I led in trying to save the Auckland Airport shares for the people of Manukau, but also for all of Auckland. 'He assumes he will win, be back in the seat of power and wants to ensure he has got the numbers around the table for the next term,' she said. Fuli was looking forward to the contest, saying: 'I'm in the community all the time and I stand on that and, of course, Alf is a local legend. Everybody knows him. Everybody loves him.' Those standing for the mayoralty are John Alcock, Wayne Brown (Fix Auckland), Eric Chuah, Michael Coote (Independent), Ted Johnston (Independent), Kerrin Leoni, Denise Widdison (Independent), Rob McNeil (Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ), Ryan Pausina, Jason Pieterse, Simon Stan (Independent), Peter Wakeman (Independent). The councillors not seeking re-election are: Angela Dalton (Manurewa-Papakura) Chris Darby (North Shore) Kerrin Leoni (Whau - standing for mayor) Sharon Stewart (Howick) One surprise candidate is former National MP and Manukau City councillor Jami-Lee Ross, who is running in the Flat Bush subdivision of the Howick Local Board. Former National MP Jami-Lee Ross is looking to make a political comeback in October's local body elections. Ross spectacularly quit the National Party in 2018 over an allegation of leaking confidential party information (he was later found not guilty in a Serious Fraud Office trial), and was dogged by allegations of bullying and sexual harassment. Ross told the Herald today he has the 'past experience and skillset to be an effective advocate' for Howick residents and after a five-year hiatus, he is ready to take a stab at politics again. The council wards of Ōrākei and Rodney are uncontested, which means Simpson and Greg Sayers are automatically re-elected. Due to a surge in nominations received at noon, eligible nominees that weren't validated yesterday will appear on the final list of candidates to be published on Monday. All the nominations remain subject to the Electoral Officer's final review and approval. Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
