Paul Holmes, John Banks and the race for the Super City

Metro magazine's senior writer Simon Wilson may have temporarily lost his vision at the fabulous Dining in the Dark dinner at Clooney restaurant on Tuesday night (check out all the goss in my Herald on Sunday column this weekend), but he has been following super city mayoral candidate John Banks for over a month, with a profile on the Auckland Mayor due to be published in Metro's upcoming December issue.

Surprisingly, one person who's publicly supporting Banks these days is the woman he took the mayoralty off in 2001 - Christine Fletcher, who is now full of praise for her former opponent.

Not so surprisingly however is former mayor Dick Hubbard's support for the other declared candidate Len Brown. The Manukau mayor denies his campaign funding has come primarily from Hubbard, however admits the cereal king has paid a small sum.

Banks of course regained the mayoralty after thrashing Hubbard in 2007 and Hubbard is clearly still very sore. Gossip in political circles suggests Hubbard's financial support of Brown is considered more about getting back at Banks than supporting Brown.

This week Banks launched an advertising campaign with the tagline 'Mayor For A Greater Auckland.' Advertising commentators observe that the focus is more aspirational than Brown's typically more inclusive approach which sees him promoting himself as 'Mayor for ALL of Auckland.'

Banks has countered that by advertising in the Herald as "John Banks. Mayor for Titirangi." Other places he's declared himself mayor for include Onehunga, Botany Downs, Warkworth, and Bayswater.

But what about Newmarket?

Banks' former press secretary, Cameron Brewer, has appointed himself mayor of the ritzy district and he reckons he has brokered a deal with the mayor's right-hand man Stephen Rainbow between the Auckland Town Hall and the Newmarket Business Association where Banks would never declare himself Mayor for Newmarket.

All tongue in cheek, of course, given the mayors - the real and the pretender - have a long-standing friendship.

Rest assured, the next 12 months is set to be very interesting, particularly as other well-known Aucklanders like the effervescent Paul Holmes are expected to put their hat in the ring for the top job.

- Rachel Glucina




Photo: Auckland mayor John Banks (left). Photo / Martin Sykes