Auckland mayoral candidates Viv Beck and Efeso Collins billboards as part of the election campaign. Photo / NZME
Auckland mayoral candidates Viv Beck and Efeso Collins billboards as part of the election campaign. Photo / NZME
Twenty-two people are running for Auckland's mayor, from already high-profile candidates to an adult entertainer.
Nominations closed mid-day Friday, with controversial publican Leo Molloy withdrawing at the eleventh hour.
Molloy said he couldn't guarantee that if he had left his name in the ring, he wouldn't be "orchestrating a result"for the left.
Auckland Council published the full list on Friday, confirming the field as still crowded.
Efeso Collins, a two-term Manukau councillor, is the current front-runner. Labour and the Greens have endorsed Collins, whose flagship policy is fares-free public transport.
A Ratepayers' Alliance Curia poll has Collins on 22.3 per cent. Should he win, Collins would be Auckland's first Pasifika mayor.
Businessman and two-term mayor of the Far North District Council Wayne Brown is promising to "Fix Auckland" and get Ports of Auckland to stump up $400 million a year in dividends and rates. He trails Collins in the polls, sitting on 18.6 per cent support.
Communities and Residents (C&R) endorsed Viv Beck as the Heart of the City chief executive. She opposes the light rail plan, wants more money spent on better bus services, and aims to be tough on crime.
Lawyer and co-leader of the Conservative Party Ted Johnston is also running. Johnson was egged at an Auckland University mayoral debate last month.
The remaining candidates are of a lower-profile, and include adult entertainer Lisa Lewis, who once streaked at a 2006 All Blacks v Ireland test in Hamilton.
The chair of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Gary Brown launched his campaign on April Fools day. His campaign website says his focus is on "working together to solve social issues, curb overspending, streamline council operations and improve infrastructure".
John Palino, who is currently in Orlando, Florida, is running in his third bid for mayor. He was runner-up in the 2013 election to Len Brown, and was a central figure in the latter's sex scandal.
