Auckland Mayoral Debate
TVNZ announced:
TV ONE’s political programme, Q+A will host the first Auckland super city mayoral debate LIVE this Sunday morning.
Mayors Andrew Williams, John Banks and Len Brown will be together for the first time on TV to debate who should be the inaugural super mayor of Auckland. All three sitting mayors join Q+A host Paul Holmes to discuss their vision for the future of the country’s biggest city.
What do they stand for? Who are they? What plans do the have to deal with Auckland’s traffic, waterfront and difficult transition into a single, unified city? Holmes will get the answers in this extended debate on Q+A, this Sunday, August 1 from 9am on TV One
Viewers who have questions for these leading candidates can email them in to: Q+A@tvnz.co.nz
The decision to include Andrew Williams is a strange one as he will not even come third in my opinion. Either the debate should be the two leading contenders or all the Mayoral candidates. Ewen Gilmour should be there, if Williams is there. And at least Ewen is funny on purpose.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Ah, but if they did _that_, then they might get the same result as in Reykjavik. There the comedians won. I suppose the powers-that-be are afraid that it wouldn’t be right to put a _real_ clown in amongst the pretenders!
July 27th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
You are only picking on the North Shore Mare coz the piss fairy visits him.
Williams, Banks, Brown and Holmes, what do they have in common?
July 27th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Anything to split the Left-wing vote is good in my opinion.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Love to answer you Steve, but I would get demerits!!
July 27th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
It is strange that they are doing this without all the candidates, and before the final candidate list is known. Time will tell if it gives these three an unfair advantage – on the other hand, the way they have been going it might give the rest an advantage.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
vision… Ha HA Ha Ha…
July 27th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Zzzzzzzzzz…yawn… zzzzzz.
July 27th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Williams is there because Cameron Bennett got him a spot.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Yawn.
July 28th, 2010 at 12:09 am
Few suggested topics (note none involve where they have lunch or dinner with). Hopefully Paul Holmes will take note-
1. The CCOs. How are they going to deal with Auckland Transport? Will they be asking them to push NZTA for better public transport? If you had $2bill to spend would you spend it on motorways or the transit system. What sort of things would they like the Economic Development CCO to deal with? What percentage of auckland Transport’s budget should go on a. Pedestrians b. Cycleways c. Town Centre streetscapes d. Corporate Lunches for the fat cats
2. Swimming pools, sports facilities and libraries. Will they keep building them. In Waitakere we have had at least five new libraries in the last ten years and a new National Netball stadium. Will Avondale and Onehunga get their swimming pools which was promised by ACC many times and then taken away.
3. Town Centres. Auckland’s town and district centres have been allowed to fall into an appaling state. Will they be demanding that new development be within existing town centres. or ate they happy for big box car park dependent stuff the go anywhere?
4. What priorities do they have for Auckland’s spatial plan?
5. Do they support Auckland’s Metropolitan Urban Limit. They need to give reasons too- if they want expansion they need to name which areas (though I doubt they will). If they don’t favour expansion they need to state which areas should intensify (again I doubt they will).
6. What powers should local boards have. What staffing levels and budgets should they have? Again it would be good if Holmes can pin them down to specifics. If they think ten staff can service a local board of 100K people let them say so on national television.
7.What social services do they feel the council should provide? Do they favour taking services off the National Government?
8. Liquor laws. do they favour shorter hours for licenced premises and no you can’t say we need one set of liquor laws for Manukau and another for everybody else.
I don’t hold much hope these issues will actually come up given the medias obsession with ‘personalities’ but it would be good to see where everyone stands on these things.
July 28th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Banks has been advised to become a softcock, and all the rest of them are either careerist left-wing troughers or third-rate failed celebrities.
..a complete waste of time.
July 28th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Williams will be doing well if he comes last!
July 28th, 2010 at 10:34 am
I’m agree with Pete George’s comment above.
I’m not interested the big guns alone. I would like to see fair and reasonable exposure for all candidates, so I’m rather expecting that NZ media will help present all my voting options. Too much to ask?
July 29th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I feel that Q&A are doing a great disservice to not only the Auckland voters but also the likes of Banks, Brown, and Williams. One would assume that intelligence would prevail and the main contenders themselves would not be happy with the media portraying a three horse race scenario. The Mayoral position requires bringing Auckland together as one. Unity will not be achieved if the voters are left feeling that they had little to no choice. One then has to wonder if the individual is able recognise that a win of this nature could leave Auckland feeling disempowered, and or disaffected.
Auckland is seriously in need of some televised – or better still, on net recorded debate between ALL prospective Uber Mayor candidates. If Backbenches can be set up in a bar, then perhaps TVNZ could make good use of the shed on Queens Wharf?