Craig Lord joins Westwards team for Waitākere, Whau elections

Craig Lord has switched his attention from the Auckland mayoralty to winning a seat at the council table.

Former mayoral candidate Craig Lord has teamed up with Waitākere councillor Ken Turner and Sunhil Kaushal under the “Westwards” banner to contest the Waitākere and Whau wards at October’s local body elections.

The Westwards team are going up against three Labour candidates in the two wards, sitting councillor target="_self" rel="" title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/waitakere-councillor-shane-henderson-calls-visitors-thrill-seeking-behaviour-at-piha-slip-site-brainless/OAXUXZ4TQBH2JGGVLNVEPQ4BDA/">Shane Henderson and Jessica Rose campaigning under the “Love the West” banner for the two seats in Waitākere; and Whau Local Board member Sarah Paterson-Hamlin stepping up in the Whau ward.

Linda Cooper, who lost her Waitākere seat in 2022, is seeking re-election in the ward this year.

The current Whau councillor, Labour’s Kerrin Leoni, is standing for the mayoralty and not seeking re-election in the ward.

Nominations for the October 11 election open next week on July 4 and close on August 1.

Lord stood for the mayoralty in 2019 and 2022, coming third both times.

At the last election, Lord was involved in an altercation with a driver who allegedly hit a power pole in New Lynn. Lord posted a photo of his bloodied face following the incident.

Labour's Shane Henderson and Jessica Rose are standing under the "Love the West" banner in Waitākere.

Turner said that having watched Lord’s campaigns closely, it was clear he shared the same viewpoint of commonsense and “keeping it real”.

Henderson and Turner topped the vote in 2022, and Leoni only just beat the sitting councillor, Tracy Mulholland, by about 350 votes to win Whau.

Around the council table, Manurewa-Papakura councillor Angela Dalton is stepping down and North Shore councillor Chris Darby is still undecided about seeking a fifth term.

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