$580,000 bar for super-city candidates

Auckland super-mayor aspirants will need deep pockets to fight local body elections next year, with candidates able to spend up to $580,000 in campaign expenses.

Current Auckland mayor John Banks, who is already on the campaign trail, said he was disappointed the amount was so high.  He would have preferred a threshold of $100,000 to encourage more people to stand.

"The problem is that if you put the threshold of expenditure too high, you put the elections out of the reach of candidates,'' he said. "The problem is that I want to encourage as many people as possible to stand for the Auckland mayoralty. It is in the best interests of the democratic process."

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide yesterday released a range of Cabinet decisions taken on the legislative framework for the new super-city, which unites the current eight councils into one city of 1.4 million people.

The electoral spending limits will be defined by population and not just registered voters. The current spending limit is $100,000 for populations over 250,000, plus 50 cents for each registered voter.

There are now about 960,000 registered Auckland voters. Mayoral candidates will therefore be able to spend about $580,000.

The elections will be conducted under first-past-the-post rules.

Mr Hide said a third bill is being drafted to complete the legislative framework. He has already brought in two bills, the first covering the structure of the new council and the second focussing on the power and roles of the mayor, councillors and local board members.

The third bill will transfer assets and liabilities to the new council, protect the interests of staff who move to it and give it the powers it needs to be up and running on November 1 next year.

Meanwhile "Campaign Banksy 2010" has already hit the campaign trail and yesterday Mr Banks, 63, was visiting services stations and taxi ranks in Botany Downs, part of Manukau Mayor Len Brown's district.

The two of them are the only formally declared candidates.

Mr Banks believes around eight to 12 candidates will be serious contenders in the election.

"I don't seem to have a name awareness problem," Mr Banks said.

"Every waking minute of the day I am thinking about victory next year for Auckland and even when I am asleep I am having dreams about Auckland super-city,'' he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News