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Candidates show their love for Auckland in numbers
Candidates show their love for Auckland in numbers
The race is on to capture the attention of Auckland’s one million and fifty thousand enrolled voters by the time voting closes at noon on 8 October.
Nominations are confirmed, the numbers are in and
in 2016 there are more mayoral and ward but fewer local
board candidates wanting to offer their services to the
region than in 2013.
Of the total number of 468
candidates, 58% are new.
Summary table of
comparison numbers 2010-2016
| Category | 2016 | 2013 | 2010 |
| Mayor | 19 | 17 | 22 |
| Wards | 74 | 60 | 101 |
| Local Boards | 375 | 393 | 420 |
| Total | 468 | 470 | 543 |
Auckland Council Electoral Officer Dale Ofsoske says: “The good news is we have 468 candidates standing for election in Auckland. This is a good result and almost the same as in 2013.
“It means there will be contests in all
wards except Franklin, where there is only one candidate for
ward councillor and one local board
sub-division.
“While there has been a long-term decline
in the number of candidates standing nationally, I’m
pleased to see that in Auckland the numbers are holding up
and we have nearly three candidates standing per position
again.”
Number of new standing candidates in 2016 who didn’t stand for same category in 2013
| Category | Number of candidates new in 2016 |
Total standing in 2016 | Number of candidates in both 2013 & 2016 |
| Mayor | 14 | 19 | 5 |
| Wards | 50 | 74 | 24 |
| Local Boards | 209 | 375 | 166 |
• Of the 19 mayoral candidates standing, 14
are new to the race with only five having contested the
position in 2013.
• 50 new ward candidates have
put their hands up for the 20 positions.
• The
largest increase of 55% is in the contest for the 149 local
board seats where 209 new candidates have thrown their hats
in the ring along with 166 incumbents.
Top 5 most
contested ward seats
| Top 5 | Ward | Positions | Candidates |
| 1 | North Shore | 2 | 12 |
| 1 | Whau | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Howick | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | Waitākere | 2 | 9 |
| 5 | Albert-Eden-Roskill | 2 | 8 |
| 5 | Ōrākei | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Rodney | 1 | 4 |
Competition for seats in the Howick, Whau and North
Shore wards is particularly strong with only one ward,
Franklin, uncontested.
Top 10 most contested
local board seats, proportionally
| Top 10 | Local Boards | Positions | Candidates |
| 1 | Ōtara-Papatoetoe (Ōtara Subdivision) | 3 | 12 |
| 2 | Ōtara-Papatoetoe (Papatoetoe Subdivision) | 4 | 15 |
| 3 | Whau | 7 | 26 |
| 4 | Devonport-Takapuna | 6 | 18 |
| 4 | Henderson-Massey | 8 | 24 |
| 4 | Howick (Botany Subdivision) | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Howick (Howick Subdivision) | 3 | 9 |
| 4 | Rodney (Dairy Flat Subdivision) | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Waitematā | 7 | 21 |
| 10 | Manurewa | 8 | 23 |
There is keen competition for South Auckland local board seats particularly in Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Manurewa and Māngere-Ōtāhuhu and in the Western boards of Whau and Henderson-Massey.
In the 2013 elections, Auckland ranked
near the bottom in the country with a 35.5% turnout compared
with 51% in 2010 (the year of amalgamation). The highest
voter turnout is in the 70-plus age group (89%) and the
lowest amongst the 18-39 year olds (34%), of which there are
450,00 eligible voters.
A postal vote begins on 16
September and closes at noon on 8
October.
ENDS
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