Super City: Plenty of options for Manurewa board

Manurewa children actively join events such as the Weet-Bix Tryathlon. Photo / NZ Herald

With 32 candidates seeking eight seats, Manurewa's residents have plenty of choice over who will represent them on their local board.

The only prominent name is George Hawkins, Manurewa's Labour MP, who says he will retire from national politics if he is elected to the board.

He was elected to Parliament in 1990, and before that he was Mayor of Papakura, so he has support throughout the new ward.

He is also the Opposition spokesman for local government - but whether that will sway voters remains to be seen.

The main fight for seats will be between Team Manurewa and the Manurewa Action Team - two tickets with almost identical names and almost identical policies.

Team Manurewa is led by Manukau city councillor Colleen Brown.

She is squaring off against Daniel Newman, another current councillor.

Citizens & Ratepayers has five candidates and South Auckland's first Pacific Island ticket, ABC - A Better Choice, has three. They are also competing with six independents and two candidates from Manurewa Citizens on Patrol.

Five Papakura councillors, community advocates, business people and one mayor are running for one of six seats on the new Papakura local board.

Papakura ratepayers will have to choose from 17 candidates, with the main competition between Papakura First and Team Papakura.

Calum Penrose is fronting Papakura First, the seven-member ticket. Team Papakura's members are all current councillors, and all well known throughout the district.

Citizens & Ratepayers brings a smaller team to contest these seats, with four candidates, and one independent rounds out the 17.

CANDIDATES

MANUREWA - 8 SEATS

* Melvin Apulu, Citizens & Ratepayers - Manurewa
* Michael James Bailey, Independent
* Elizabeth Barrowman, Team Manurewa
* Mark Beale, Team Manurewa
* Chris Broadhurst, Manurewa Citizens on Patrol
* Colleen Brown, Team Manurewa
* Fred Buck, Manurewa Action Team
* Raewyn Clark, Team Manurewa
* Angela Cunningham-Marino, Manurewa Action Team
* Angela Dalton, Manurewa Action Team
* Waina Emery, Team Manurewa
* Toa Greening, Team Manurewa
* George Hawkins, Manurewa Action Team
* Manogi head, Independent
* Alan Johnson, (no ticket stated)
* Ilango Krishnamoorthy, Team Manurewa
* Jane Logan, Team Manurewa
* Balu Mistry, Citizens & Ratepayers - Manurewa
* Daniel Newman, Manurewa Action Team
* George Ngatai, Citizens & Ratepayers - Manurewa
* Mote Pahulu, Manurewa Action Team
* Ken Penney, Manurewa Action Team
* Bevan Pihema, Independent
* Pesio Ah-Honi Siita, ABC - A Better Choice
* Gurmeeta Singh, Citizens & Ratepayers
* Sukhminder Singh, Citizens & Ratepayers - Manurewa
* Tina Steunebrink, Manurewa Action Team
* Anahila Suisuiki, Independent
* Timothy Toilolo, ABC - A Better Choice
* Vui Sapa'u Vitale, ABC - A Better Choice
* Bruce Walden, Independent
* Caine Warren, Manurewa Citizens on Patrol


PAPAKURA - 6 SEATS

* Toni `Aho, Independent
* Felicity Jane Auva'a, Team Papakura
* Adrienne Bell, Independent
* Brent Catchpole, PapakuraFirst
* Caroline Conroy, Team Papakura
* Hine Joyce-Tahere, PapakuraFirst
* Peter O'Brien, Citizens & Ratepayers - Papakura
* Mark O'Connor, Team Papakura
* Jacinta Penn, Citizens & Ratepayers - Papakura
* Owen Pringle, Team Papakura
* Graham Purdy, PapakuraFirst
* John Robinson, PapakuraFirst
* Arunjeev Singh, Citizens & Ratepayers - Papakura
* Raj Thandi, PapakuraFirst
* Michael Turner, PapakuraFirst

* From the New Zealand Herald feature, 'Super City - Election Guide'