Asian trio have battle on their hands to win over mainstream

Josephine Kim. Photo / Dean Purcell

The new Auckland Council is unlikely to have any Asian members because none of the three Asian candidates has done enough to win support from mainstream voters, an Auckland University academic says.

Manying Ip, a professor of Asian studies, warned that if that should happen, it would fuel a lack of interest and further apathy among local Asians to the Super City.

She said that while the three candidates were from the Indian, Chinese and Korean communities - the three largest Asian ethnic groups - she did not feel they had much support from mainstream voters.

"Most of the support they have from within their communities will also not translate to votes, because many Asians don't vote in the local body elections," Professor Ip said.

"People like our two Chinese mayors, Peter Chin [Dunedin] and Meng Foon [Gisborne] are where they are today because they have earned the trust and support of New Zealanders, not just the Asians," she said.

Professor Ip said many Asians did not vote because they found the local authority elections to be "a bit of an unknown" and were unfamiliar with the postal voting process.

"Ordinary Kiwis find the local body elections confusing," she said.

It was even worse for people whose first language was not English and who came from countries that did not hold elections, Professor Ip added.

There is no Asian voting data, but a Herald survey of 300 voters found 35 per cent of Asians were saying they would not be voting, compared with 21 per cent of Europeans and Pacific Islanders and 25 per cent of Maori.

Professor Ip said a change to a "general election-style" process was needed to get ethnic communities to vote.

"An Auckland Council without Asian councillors is no good for either the city or the Asian communities, and this would just make people in those communities less interested in the Super City."

The three Asian council hopefuls are Indian-born Ravi Musuku (Independent, Albert-Eden-Roskill), Chinese-born Peter Chan (Independent, Waitakere) and Korean-born Josephine Kim (Citizens & Ratepayers, Albany).

Miss Kim says that although it will be an "uphill battle" for Asian candidates, it is not "mission impossible" if members of the community turn up to vote.

She expects her main support in Albany, where 19 candidates are vying for two seats, to come from the Asian communities who make up 20 per cent of the ward's population, leaving the other candidates scrambling for votes from the remaining 80 per cent.

Miss Kim, a lawyer, said: "I've been door-knocking telling people that in order to represent them, I don't just need their support, I need their votes if they want a voice in the new Super City council."

Mr Chan, a sitting Waitakere City councillor originally from Hong Kong, feels he also stands a chance if ethnic minorities come out to vote.

"My key message to voters from the ethnic minority groups is to come out to vote, because I know if they do vote, they will vote for me," Mr Chan said.

ASIAN COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES

Josephine Kim (Korean-born) - C&R, Albany.
Ravi Musuku (Indian-born) - Independent, Albert-Eden-Roskill.
Peter Chan (Hong Kong-born) - Independent, Waitakere.