Ticket at centre of voided Papatoetoe election seeking new mandate

Electoral fraud has been alleged in the Papatoetoe vote in the Auckland Council election. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The four members of a ticket at the centre of the voided South Auckland local body election result are seeking a new mandate.

Shortly before Christmas, Judge Richard McIlraith found that some irregularities materially affected the election result for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, and voided the result.

This has meant a new election for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the board. Voting is open from March 9 until April 9.

The four members of the Otara-Papatoetoe Action Team, Kunal Bhalla, Kushma Nair, Sandeep Saini, and Jeet Singh, who won all four seats for the Papatoetoe subdivision last October, are contesting the new election.

Members of the Papatoetoe-Ōtara Action Team, Sandeep Saini, Kunal Balla, Paramjeet Singh and Kushma Nair, are seeking a new mandate.

They have categorically denied any wrongdoing in the lead-up to October’s local body elections and have filed proceedings in the High Court at Auckland seeking a judicial review of the District Court decision.

“We are determined that the people of Papatoetoe should have the opportunity to choose us as their representatives freely and fairly for a second time. We remain confident in the support of our community and in the mandate we received,” the team said in a statement.

The court case was brought by the board’s former deputy chairman, Vi Hausia, who lodged a petition against the chief electoral officer, Dale Ofsoske.

Hausia alleged widespread theft of voting papers, fraudulent use of stolen voting papers and other “irregularities” in the election of the Papatoetoe subdivision of the board.

Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson said last month there was no suggestion of a problem with the running of the election by the council and chief electoral officer Dale Ofsoske.

The police have opened an investigation into the allegations, separate from the court case. Today, the police said there were no updates.

A field of 20 candidates is contesting the new election, including Vi Hausia.

The full list of candidates is:

• Kunal Bhalla - Papatoetoe Otara Action Team
• Ashraf Choudhary - Labour
• Harold Deo - No affiliation declared
• Avinash Dhaliwal - Labour
• Peter Dons -Independently Papatoetoe
• Vi Hausia - Labour
• Tuafuti Ka - Independent
• Namrata Kumar - No affiliation declared
• Chris Latham - Communities and Residents
• Albert Lim - Independently Papatoetoe
• John Loau - No affiliation declared
• Karl Mokaraka - Independent
• Kushma Nair - Papatoetoe Otara Action Team
• Swanie Nelson - Independent
• Taitosaua Peace - Independent
• Sandeep Saini - Papatoetoe Otara Action Team
• Jeet Singh - Papatoetoe Otara Action Team
• Raj Singh - Labour
• Alison Weakley - Independently Papatoetoe
• Chris Webb - Independently Papatoetoe

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