Andy Asquith and Andrew Cardow: Local politicians, fly your colours

Candidates have long tried to distance themselves from national politics by forming local associations. Photo / Richard Robinson

Opinion

Notion that party loyalties have no place in council office is nonsense and declaring them could add value.

Phil Goff's flirtation with the Auckland mayoralty continues apace. In a recent radio interview he would have us believe that party politics are undesirable in local body activities. He'd like us to believe that as mayor, he could act above politics in the best interest of Auckland.

The problem with Mr Goff's view is that, while councillors may be "independent", the implicit formal party involvement is essentially bordering on being dishonest.

We also believe it is possible for the explicit involvement of political parties to raise the calibre of the candidates - and therefore the level of debate and the numbers of us actually voting. We have been informed National Party figures are mobilising to form a new "centre-right" party to contest the Auckland council elections. Perhaps they have realised the public has worked out the "code" and Citizens and Ratepayers no longer works.

Perhaps those standing for City Vision, closely identified with Labour, also need to change their name - although you could argue this metamorphis has already begun, with four candidates for the council identified as being "Labour" in 2013. It is a little hard to believe that a member (or even a sympathiser) of either the National or Labour parties would become independent once they were elected - shedding all their politically-ingrained values and beliefs.

Local politics in New Zealand has for a long time followed the concept of independence. The image projected by the various candidates standing for local boards, energy boards, health boards and, of course, council and regional council positions have long attempted to distance themselves from national politics. Such projections are conventions at best and subterfuge at worst.

To say that New Zealand local politics is devoid of party affiliation is absurd. Here in Auckland we have witnessed well-known National Party and Labour Party political operatives standing and winning seats under such headings as Citizens and Ratepayers (National at prayer), and City Vision (Labour in communion). It is hard to understand why the candidates do this in the first place.

Honesty in politics is not normally something that captures the attention of the public, but by hiding behind various constructions candidates are being somewhat dishonest in their projection.

Being clear in one's colours sends a greater message to the public. It gives the public a definitive point of difference - and is much clearer for voters to follow than the bland candidate statements that often repeat the same cliches, irrespective of political affiliation. The converse argument - that people would be reluctant to vote for a Labour or National candidate on the basis that such people would put the interests of the party before those of the region - is insulting. All it does is indicate the political bias of a candidate.

A few years ago we conducted research on this topic. We interviewed successful mayoral candidates and council members. We asked them what was so important about independence. The most common answer could be summed up as, "party members tend to vote as a bloc" - an astounding revelation.

In most council chambers around the country, including Auckland, councillors vote in blocs. Maybe the time has come for the candidates in local body elections of all types to declare their political biases. Instead of Citizens and Ratepayers try National; instead of City Vision try Labour. The fiction is not helpful to anyone.

Dr Andy Asquith and Dr Andrew Cardow are local government specialists with Massey University's School of Management.