Auckland mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni pulled out of a scheduled debate at the Herald this afternoon, just minutes before the debate was due to begin.
Her campaign manager Sharon Jensen emailed the Herald to advise of the withdrawal, but gave no reason at the time. She has since advised that Leoni opted instead for “prioritising her time to prepare for a major “Get Out the Vote event at Aotea Square tomorrow”.
Jensen had accepted the interview invitation on Wednesday, confirmed it later the same day with the words “Locked in”, and reconfirmed it on Thursday.
The debate went ahead with two other mayoral candidates, the independent Eric Chuah and Rob McNeil from the Animal Justice Party.
Leoni has been critical during the campaign of Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, who has declined several invitations to appear in candidate debates.
“I’ve been to all 14 mayoral debates,” she told a Grey Power meeting in Northcote on September 19. “Wayne Brown hasn’t done that.” Brown was at that meeting.
In Glen Eden, she said it was disrespectful of the mayor not to turn up. At some meetings, she and the other candidates have put a photo of Brown on an empty chair.
The Herald debate proceeded with the two other candidates.
Chuah said he has a background in defence and security, and in academia. As he has done on several occasions, he criticised the Auckland Future Fund (AFF) set up by Brown with the proceeds of the council’s sale of its shares in Auckland International Airport.
“I don’t want to say the fund was mismanaged,” he said. But he also used the word “mismanaged” to describe the way it was run.
Chuah was also asked about a poll he has talked about in several meetings. He has claimed this shows him with 18% support, the same as Kerrin Leoni, and only six points behind Brown.
Talking to the Herald, he said the poll was now covered by a “gagging order”, although he didn’t know who had made the order or why. He said he couldn’t say more.
McNeil presented himself as an experienced manager. He also advocated for his party, saying thousands of dogs are put down in council pounds each year.
“These animals are Aucklanders and they have rights too,” he said. “The Animal Justice Party supports the rights of all Aucklanders, including the most vulnerable.”
During the interview, the candidates were asked a series of questions on the theme, “How well do you know your city?”
Neither of them knew that Pōkeno, on the south side of the Bombay Hills, is in Waikato, not Auckland. McNeil knew the Stardome Observatory was in Cornwall Park and both knew where Henderson and Long Bay are. Neither could locate Hoani Waititi Marae.
McNeil knew Mt Smart is home to the Auckland Warriors and Chuah knew it was home to Auckland FC. Asked what show they had been to recently, Chuah said he went to a session at the Writers Festival in 2023 and McNeil revealed he had been to a cabaret show at the Civic in June.
The Herald interviewed incumbent mayor Wayne Brown last weekend. That interview is here.
Voting closes next Saturday at midday and the results are expected some time that afternoon. If you’re posting your ballot, be sure to do it by Tuesday; otherwise, it can be deposited at Countdown supermarkets and other drop-off points around the city.
Simon Wilson is an award-winning senior writer covering politics, the climate crisis, transport, housing, urban design and social issues, with a focus on Auckland. He joined the Herald in 2018.