Sunday30th August 2009: Q+A’s Guyon Espiner interviews Manukau City Mayor, Len Brown.

Points of interest:

- Brown declares he’s running for Auckland mayoralty

- Transportation, especially public transport, is his top priority

- Brown supports Maori seats on Auckland council to bring people together

- Manukau City rejected Maori wards because it achieved Maori representation without them

- “My health is brilliant” Brown says, a year after heart attack

The interview has been transcribed below. The full length video interviews and panel discussions from this morning’s Q+A can be seen on tvnz.co.nz at,

http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news

LEN BROWN interviewed by GUYON ESPINER

GUYON Okay you have been dropping hints, are you going to stand for Mayor.

LEN BROWN – Manukau Mayor

Yep, I'm ready, I'm standing for the Mayor of all of Auckland, I'm going to be making that announcement today Guyon.

GUYON Why have you decided to do this?

LEN It's time now, the government has pretty much put our change in concrete. The people of my community and the wider region have been giving me some extraordinary strong support and advice, they want me to stand, and it's also really time on that basis for someone to step up to really start moving, to bring our communities together, right across the region, all of our ethnic diversity, cultural diversity, this is the time.

GUYON What are your campaign platforms going to be, what issues are you going to campaign on?

LEN We've really got to deliver on transportation. That is the primary platform in the Auckland region for us to deliver on over the next 15 to 20 years. We've got to deliver on economic development and growth, tourism is going to be a key part of rolling out Auckland, we're going to develop a world city, a city that is absolutely the cultural, social, economic hub, of the South Pacific.

GUYON You mentioned transport there which would be foremost in a lot of Aucklanders' minds, what substantial or significant or different have you got to bring to the table in terms of stopping the congestion and the hassle of driving and travelling around Auckland?

LEN To tell you the truth there's been a lot of brilliant work done over the last year or two in particular, we're really starting to move forward in public transport, we've gotta complete the electrification of the main trunk line. We've got 20 billion dollars worth of transportation, roading work, to be rolled out across this region in the next 15 years.

GUYON So it's more or less planned for you isn't it?

LEN No it's going to be a much more comprehensive plan, but I'm gonna take on board the views of our community over the next 13 to 14 months, we're gonna develop and roll out in our region a transportation plan that include our people's views.

GUYON Are you the Labour candidate, I know you're a member of the Labour Party, but have you done any sort of deal here, is Bob Harvey, is Mike Lee supporting you, are you the left wing candidate?

LEN There's no deals happening here, I am going to be the candidate for all of Auckland, I have support from the left as you call it, I have support from the right, from people right across the political spectrum, that’s how I am the Mayor of Manukau and how I'll be the Mayor of Auckland.

GUYON But do you expect Bob Harvey and Mike Lee to stand also?

LEN They will be telling you what their intentions are.

GUYON Do you know what their intentions are?

LEN No I do not know what their intentions are, they will tell you what their intentions are.

GUYON Do you have the backing of the New Zealand Labour Party?

LEN I have the backing of a number of people within Labour, within the Maori Party, within the Green Party within the National Party, I have support from across the political spectrum.

GUYON Do you see this primarily as a race between yourself and John Banks?

LEN No, I see this primarily as an opportunity to deliver an extraordinary vision of what we can be in our city.

GUYON But come on, I mean he's ...

LEN Well he's certainly the person that’s announced at this point in time, but my focus is very much going to be in our community. I'm not overly focused who I'm standing against.

GUYON But do you see him as your main competition?

LEN He certainly will be a strong opponent, I have no doubt about that, but I'm not going to be focused on what I'm standing against, I'm going to be focused on what I will be standing for.

GUYON Let's look at one of those things, the Maori seats, do you support having separate Maori seats on the Super City?

LEN Yes I do support that, and I think the government is missing an opportunity to really ensure that this bringing together is serious, that we are reaching out to all of our communities, and Maori have a special and significant place in Auckland, as they do have in New Zealand, it's recognised through our commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, it's recognised through statute, it's recognised through our seats in parliament.

GUYON Well when I read the Royal Commission, volume 1, part 4, reports that in 2008 Manukau City Council rejected the establishment of Maori wards.

LEN We have had an unfortunate situation in our city over really the 45 years of time. The reason why we do – what we do in our city is that for our 45 years we have had Maori representation around our table, we have two people of Maori ethnic background in our table at the moment, one Tainui.

GUYON But no separate Maori wards though.

LEN But we've been able to deliver representation to Maori on that basis along with the Treaty of Waitangi commitment.

GUYON But without separate Maori wards.

LEN Guyon what I want to say...

GUYON Well I'm asking you why you rejected Maori wards.

LEN Because we had strong Maori representation in our Council at the time.

GUYON Well don’t you just then prove Rodney Hide's point that we don’t need to have separate seats?

LEN No, because I believe that going forward 1.4 millions Aucklanders, I want to see Maori around that table, and I do not believe that we can satisfy our requirements by just having it under the ward system in this new structure. I believe we could deliver it in Manukau. I think we will really struggle in the Auckland Council.

GUYON Okay just before we leave it, you had a very high profile and quite a serious heart scare last year. Are you up to this job health wise?

LEN My health is brilliant Guyon, how do I look?

GUYON You look alright this morning.

LEN I look brilliant this morning. Thanks mate.

GUYON We'll leave it there, thank you very much for coming in and joining us this morning.

ENDS

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