BREAKING: Local Body Elections plunge to lowest return level in 10 years

1. Local Government candidates are so far uninspiring to say the least so we need bold new open climate change policy from these rather dull candidates or the local body elections will just be another failure again.

2. I don’t get it…when I get angry i do something about it… I vote for change. I know people often feel disenfranchised but the only way to have any say in fixing the things that are wrong is to vote for the things you think are right.

3. It must be time for change and what will that mean councillors cant say they have much of a mandate its becoming a joke

4. Might as well wind up local and regional councils and run it all from central government.

5. Welcome to Auckland as an ‘International’ city… where 50% of people who reside here couldn’t care a fuck about the place.

   The other day, on the North Shore, a visitor from South America was trying to get directions in a busy mall. All he people they asked directions to, just shrugged their heads and said they could not speak English. The tourist were incredulous and asked, “I thought NZ was an English speaking country’.

   I don’t have an issue with people coming to a country and not speaking the language in fact I admire people who are bi or multi lingual… but when more people don’t speak the local language than do, there is a problem going forward including the incredulous response when visitors come and find ‘the friendly, helpful ‘ NZ is not quite what they were expecting and many people who now live here, don’t know anything about the country they live in, or speak the language including many in operating ‘NZ’ tourist ventures like hotels and tourist businesses.

   What sort of work force is that going forward if that is the ‘offical’ reason why we need one of the highest migrations levels per capita in the world?

   In other parts of Auckland gunfire is becoming more prevalent.
   https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/08/shooting-in-central-auckland.html

   “A spate of shootings which have left three dead in South Auckland this year, along with another in a critical condition after an incident on Friday night, has prompted a call for the number of youth workers to be boosted.

   Manukau councillor Alf Filipaina, a former police officer, said the level of violence was among the worst he had seen in 60 years of living in the area.”

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12253348

   Meth up

   Auckland meth bust: Two arrested after one of New Zealand’s largest drugs seizures
   https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/114877370/massive-drug-operation-in-auckland-seizes-200kg-of-meth

   Four held as police bust Asian crime syndicate in Auckland, seizing meth, pistols and $100,000
   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12162687

   All sorts of tax free profits to be made here, you can probably even use migrant workers to help out your crime spree…
   Millions of dollars in rubbish bags full of money being found, with thousands of cigarettes…
   https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/108924236/seized-18-million-smuggled-cigarettes-2-million-cash

   If you get caught moneylaundering drugs money, don’t worry, no problem, not even worthy of a conviction!

   Woman discharged without conviction for laundering money for international drug ring
   https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115157974/woman-discharged-without-conviction-for-laundering-money-for-international-drug-ring

   Phone scams used to be from overseas, now they operate from NZ!
   Police make 13 arrests over multi-million-dollar phone scam
   https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/09/police-make-13-arrests-over-multi-million-dollar-phone-scam.html?fbclid=IwAR0cihaXKLXHlv4uwI11mvefQ4WL1cXKofNsUBvsH0JtkRHAdR5LLxeeDcI

   The government has created Auckland city in their image of what the future of NZ should be and are now presently rolling out the neoliberal formula, to a town, near you and everyday the same problems Auckland had 5 years ago are in the headlines around NZ!

   But still they keep rolling it out. There is a consequence to blind stupidity and ideology and Auckland is showing the signs of what their approaches are creating.

   • Serious socially harmful crime by visitors like massive fraud, major dishonesty crimes, drugs, sexual crimes and money laundering is ok in NZ and seems to be encouraged by visitors , littering and swearing around Takapuna beach, asking for alcohol on flights and small time shop lifting, the police and immigration swoop in straight away! Someone is authority clearly has a ‘thing’ against British Gypsies but other more serious criminals get the VIP treatment to stay here and commit more crimes. Bizarre!

     “British ‘gypsy’ family will be DEPORTED from New Zealand after locals say they ’caused destruction across the country, caused mayhem on a flight, tried to cheat restaurants out of money and threatened violence'”

     https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6592731/Go-Ireland-Gypsy-dad-denies-trashing-beach-putting-ants-familys-meals.html

6. Alienation, woeful candidates, lack of democracy, transience of population–change of address, decline of postal services, postal voter registration and voting, all play a role in low turnout. An unpublished roll needs to be promoted too. Many people, migrants, women, debtors, have good reason to need some privacy if they are to participate.

   But even with the best intention to vote–can you find a bloody post box?

7. I’d love to vote for something I could believe in. Therein lies the problem. Folk don’t believe what they vote for will ever happen. Fool me once, my bad, fool me for 40 years …

8. no you cant find a postal box because like our assets national got rid of them at the same time destroying our postal system which was one of the best in the world now worth fuck all

9. Who’s sane the person? The one doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result – or those who refuse to play the game anymore.

10. If you don’t bother voting, don’t expect things to change. You are better to vote somebody completely outside the mainstream than not vote at all. And we might get more representation that way too.

    Sounds like it’s an international problem, even someones pets can be more relatable than the human candidates. So send the message, sadly no pets running for Auckland council so pick the next best human candidate????

    4 Animals That Ran for Mayor (and Won!)
    https://mentalfloss.com/article/31231/4-animals-ran-mayor-and-won

    Also it is not just about the Mayor the councillors are just as important and also who is running the hospitals!

11. I didn’t vote FOR anyone. I voted against folk that have spent the last 3 years duck shoving around doing bugger all.
    Voted for 2 existing council members who do work hard ( #1 and 2) and the rest of the vote went to younger, motivated wannabes, who probably won’t have a chance if there is a low turn out, or even with a high turn out. The status quo will continue where I live….white, male, over 50 and blinkered.
    Wife and I voted and posted within an hour of receiving our papers. Done and dusted.

12. What is the point in voting, when we do not have candidates that have the honesty, qualifications, skills, abilities and dedication to really bring needed change to prepare the local authorities, particularly such one as Auckland, for a better future?

    We get more of the same old faces, we get wannabe mayors who are in some respect mere idle idiots and attention seekers, or running for a joke, we get lots of political career seeking standup comedy material, and we get lots of self serving candidates pushing their own or their related business activities.

    I despair at the candidates within Greater Auckland, it is a disgrace what we are offered.

    So no one wort voting for results in not voting, which is a vote of no confidence in the status quo and the poor alternatives.

    • Further to that, this is the unsurprising result of decades of so called neoliberalism and the preaching of selfishness, of ‘me first’, and ‘I want, I want, I need, NOW’, having caused division, mistrust and therefore few standing up for any decent policies for the wellbeing of the nation, of the community and so, and that longer term. Such persons who may stand for that have long been made and extinct species, as the competition at all levels has ensured that only the alpha males and other selfish people get anywhere. They push their various agendas, and we have a society more divided and corrupted than ever before in recent history.

      So people admire selfish and showing off ‘heroes’ rather than true heroes, and while most are so engaged in their social chatting and mobile and online activities exchanging little frivolities and consumerist BS ideas, the majority do not have any interest in who runs the show, as it will not change the whole system anyway, the masters behind the scenes keep pulling the strings, and they are the ones that really determine the journey ahead, not an ordinary, single, individual citizen or honest, committed group of citizens.

    • Well there is this:
      https://thestandard.org.nz/how-to-vote-in-stv/ and this:
      https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/stv-voting-strategy-candidates-you-dislike

      So its possible you could start ranking candidates beginning with those you most DISLIKE (the highest number) and work your way backwards. It could be more useful than commenting on any number of internet sites, or clicking on thumbs up or down. (It’s a slightly better option than pissing into a headwind)

      • Tim – That’s exactly what I did, I numbered from the bottom (easy), stuck in the top two – there was no top three anywhere – filled the spaces inbetween favouring Green and Labour, and am kindly assisting whanau to do likewise.

13. Are you aware that some of us have only just received voting papers today 26 September? My Auckland family had completed their voting & returned by mail on Monday 23 Sept.

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