New council to abandon $1b highway

By BERNARD ORSMAN


The eastern highway is dead and the proposed V8 car race around Victoria Park is unlikely to go ahead after a landslide victory to Dick Hubbard and the centre-left on the Auckland City Council.

It became apparent within hours that City Vision leader Dr Bruce Hucker, who pulled out of the mayoral race a month ago after a Herald poll showed Mr Hubbard leading incumbent Mayor John Banks, would become his deputy and wield enormous power.

Dr Hucker and Christine Caughey, one of two new councillors elected on the anti-highway Action Hobson ticket, announced an end to a highway across Hobson Bay.

Dr Hucker said he had 12 of the 20 votes to squash the roading element but would keep working on the public transport components of the $1 billion-plus project.

Christine Caughey said: "The motorway is finished."

Mr Hubbard, who supports a scaled-back version of the 27km highway from Manukau to Auckland City, still wants the project to be subject to a cost-benefit analysis and debated by the council.

"It has to be put to bed, one way or another, early in the New Year."

Mr Banks fell to a crushing 18,450-vote defeat, taking with him a raft of pet projects and the centre-right Citizens & Ratepayers Now ticket that has controlled the country's largest city since 1938.

Following the most bitter mayoral campaign in memory, Mr Hubbard, the political novice who entered the race only on August 19, emerged battered but with his humour intact, with just over half the votes.

Former mayor and National MP Christine Fletcher came a distant third and announced her days of standing for public office were over.

To hugs from his wife, Diana, who plans to resurrect the role of mayoress, Mr Hubbard promised to work with the new centre-left council to restore the image of the city in the eyes of Aucklanders and people south of the Bombay Hills.

Mr Banks, choking back tears at a press conference on Saturday, was gracious in defeat and wished Mr Hubbard and the new council well. He told a questioner: "The eastern transport corridor will never be built in your lifetime."

C&R Now city councillor David Hay, who made a successful move to the Auckland Regional Council but had the disappointment of seeing C&R Now reduced to six of 19 councillors, blamed Hobson people for "holding the city to ransom" over the highway.

Dr Hucker said he did not think there would be majority support for the proposed V8 car race around Victoria Park. The council, working alongside Transit, is due to release more information on the race tomorrow.

Transit, which previously opposed the project, citing traffic mayhem on the motorway network, has refused to say if it would support it once the resource consents hearings resume next month.

The big swing to the centre-left in Auckland City was mirrored to a lesser degree on the ARC, where pro-road tickets in the different council areas failed to get the numbers.

The outcome, in which chairwoman Gwen Bull was dumped and replaced by left-wing member Robyn Hughes, could lead to public transport campaigner Mike Lee becoming chairman.

Elsewhere, Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis got a fright when councillor Len Brown came within 566 votes of unseating the country's longest serving mayor. Mr Brown has refused to concede defeat until all the special votes have been counted.

In North Shore City, George Wood comfortably secured a third term with a 15,000 majority. "I think the people of North Shore City like the level of stability which they are getting at the moment." Waitakere re-elected Bob Harvey. He said: "I'm just so happy that the West has faith in me. It's a bit of a love affair."

Papakura got a new mayor with John Robertson, former National and United MP, and former chairman of Infrastructure Auckland.

Polling was notable across the country for its small turnouts and slow returns. Dunedin's new mayor, Peter Chin, learned he had the job last night - 33 hours after voting closed.