Banks' eligibility for mayor queried

John Banks. Photo / Dean Purcell

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An Auckland businessman and politician has effectively taken a potshot at Auckland City Mayor John Banks' suitability to be the first mayor of the Super City.

Michael Barnett's criticism coincides with a message from Auckland businessman Tenby Powell that if Mr Banks continues to lag in the polls he would enter the mayoral contest.

The right-leaning Citizens & Ratepayers political ticket is also coming under pressure with suggestions that the young and ambitious Newmarket Business Association chief executive Cameron Brewer will challenge the C&R's 67-year-old Doug Armstrong in the blue ribbon Orakei ward and Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney is preparing to stand in the Waitemata and Gulf ward.

Right-wing commentators have dubbed C&R "crusty and rusty" for their Super City line-up of elderly and recycled politicians.

Mr Barnett, who stood down as the C&R candidate for Waitemata and Gulf in May after developing throat cancer, said the mayoral candidates were falling well short of declaring a comprehensive vision for Auckland.

Writing in the Herald, Mr Barnett said the mayoral aspirants should not be campaigning around creation of a personality cult, or concentrating leadership at the Town Hall around the projection of their own personality.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive did not name names but as a respected business leader his comments are particularly damaging to Mr Banks, the former National Party Cabinet minister seeking the support of the business community.

They are also a wake-up call for the other heavyweight contender, Manukau Mayor Len Brown, whose council has forged strong relations with business in South Auckland.

So far, Mr Banks and Mr Brown have outlined a vision of what they want Auckland to become in the broadest terms but not outlined an action plan or policies to get there.

"Getting Aucklanders interested in voting will only be successful if the mayoral aspirants have a compelling story to tell. It has to be a story that convinces Aucklanders that they have a campaign ... to address Auckland's big issues," Mr Barnett said.

Half of the respondents in the Herald's 2010 survey of mostly Auckland chief executives believe a new mayoral candidate should be sought to contest the leadership of the Super City at the October local body elections. Just 17 per cent were satisfied with Mr Banks and Mr Brown.

These comments, plus a Herald-Digipoll survey and another survey by the newspaper's parent company, showing Mr Banks lagging behind Mr Brown, have prompted Mr Powell to consider entering the mayoral contest.

Yesterday, Mr Powell said he supported Mr Banks and had no intention of splitting the centre-right vote, but was "watching with interest" with people with experience in polls.

Mr Powell, who is former executive director in Hirepool and Port-a-Loo and married to entrepreneur Sharon Hunter, said he was a concerned Aucklander. Another option, he said, was to stand as an independent candidate in the Waitemata and Gulf ward, where he lived, to become deputy mayor under Mr Banks.