Allegations continue to fly between Gaurav Sharma and Labour, will Leo Molloy be the mayoral kingmaker & why Wellington Hospital staff were exposed to exhaust fumes from diesel heater in the latest New Zealand Herald Headlines. Video / NZ Herald
Former Auckland City mayor John Banks is calling on Viv Beck to throw in the towel to give Wayne Brown a pathway to win the Auckland mayoralty.
Banks said restaurateur Leo Molloy was right to quit at the eleventh hour on Friday following a poll showing he could not win.
The self-described "hospo legend" pulled out to narrow down a crowded group of candidates - Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck, former Far North District mayor and businessman Wayne Brown and himself - from splitting the vote opposed to Labour-endorsed candidate Efeso Collins.
"It's a brainless cacophony having so many centre-right candidates scrapping over the same support base," said Banks, who lost to Len Brown at the first Super City election in 2010.
Auckland mayoral candidate Wayne Brown. Photo / Greg Bowker
Banks said half of Molloy's estimated 75,000 supporters will go to Collins and the other half will be split three ways between Beck, Brown and the other candidates.
"The next poll will have Collins further ahead of the pack. Beck should now throw in the towel. Her presence is lacklustre at best, she can't win.
"Her support would substantially go to Brown and that would then give him a pathway to victory," said Banks, adding Labour's "formidable ground game" will help Collins if there is a low voter turnout.
Beck has been lying low since Friday's dramatic turn of events and did not want to comment on Banks' call for her to resign.
Her only comment was that her campaign team has been in contact with Molloy's team since he hinted on Saturday he could endorse her.
Molloy said yesterday any endorsement would hinge on where a pro-business candidate sits on the future of Ports of Auckland, which includes selling leases on a big chunk of the port land and building a waterfront stadium, culture centre and aquatic facility.
Even if Beck is in line with his ambitions for the waterfront land, an endorsement may not come if he thinks she can't win in the October 8 election.
Beck's poll ratings have slumped from 20 per cent in June to 12.5 per cent in last Friday's Ratepayers' Alliance-Curia poll. Her campaign has lacked a coherent plan and messaging, and it took months for National's local government de facto arm Communities and Residents (C&R) to endorse her.
Last Friday, Beck signed up with social media contractor "The Campaign Company" and its creative boss Dylan Parshotam.
He previously worked for Topham Guerin, which did political communications for the British Conservative Party in the 2019 general election and worked with the Liberal Party in Australia.
She has also signed up Mike Hutcheson, a high-profile advertising figure, who worked on Len Brown and Phil Goff's mayoral campaigns.
Today, Molloy said his endorsement did not apply to one person in particular or just the port issue, saying there were a lot of other strings to his bow. But he was adamant on one thing: "I won't back a loser."
Molloy said he would not personally talk with Wayne Brown because he does not know him, but someone from his team could.
If Molloy does endorse another candidate, he said, it will be before postal voting papers go out on September 12. His team is also considering sharing a list of some 30,000 supporters, 11,000 mobile phone numbers and 1150 volunteers.
Former Auckland mayoral candidate Leo Molloy. Photo / Brett Phibbs
In his exit press conference at his Ponsonby campaign headquarters on Friday, Molloy said his decision to bow out of the mayoral race was out of "nightmare" fears Collins will win in October.
Brown said he had had no contact with Molloy, but if he did get in touch he would say "thanks for pulling out" but that would be the end of it.
"Aucklanders vote on policies and experience, not on backroom deals.
"Mine is a very sensible message. I'm not promising to spend a lot of money. I'm promising to reduce the amount of money and finish what we have got.
"I'm not promising any new stadiums. In times like this when people are short of cash, it's important to try and curb costs … I'm being Mr Miser," he said.
Brown was pleased with Friday's poll which had him on 18.6 per cent, within the margin of error of Collins' support at 22.3 per cent.
He was also delighted with the Herald's head of business, Fran O'Sullivan, coming out in support of him in a Weekend Herald column.
Former Auckland City mayor John Banks(right) at an Auckland mayoral debate last month, with former councillor George Wood (left) and former National MP Ian Revell (centre). Photo / Dean Purcell.
O'Sullivan said she liked Beck and took her hat off to Molloy for getting out of the way so another business-focused candidate can have a crack at the mayoralty.
"Of the candidates left standing, I would rate Wayne Brown as having the best chance of making a major difference to the city," she said.
"Praise from Fran is good praise. Fran is a very analytical person and impressive thinker," Brown said.
Former C&R Auckland City councillor Aaron Bhatnagar said if centre-right voters do want change they will have to assess who has the best shot and at the moment it looks like Wayne Brown.
For Beck to turn it around, he said, she needs an aggressive and passionate TV, commercial and social media campaign.
