KEY POINTS:
Auckland City has been guaranteed a mayoral campaign worthy of the name with John Banks' decision to seek the position he lost three years ago to Dick Hubbard. Both men have records in the role that provide a ready reference point. One, a local businessman, will be judged on his and a left-leaning city council's effectiveness during this term of government. The other, from the school of former national politicians, the second group to have dominated the mayoralty in recent decades, will be seeking to reverse a resounding defeat in 2004. On polling day, one will be able to boast of beating the bogey of one-term mayors.
Mr Banks has announced his candidacy with a pledge of a new style and new policies. He says that he has learned from the mistakes of his mayoralty. Ratepayers would be consulted, and there would be none of the personal attacks that marked his previous mayoralty. Mr Banks, formerly a strong advocate of the eastern highway and other roading initiatives, says that he is now committed to a world-class public transport system. He also says that rates would be "affordable" to fund sound, common-sense policies.
It will be up to voters to decide if they are convinced by what Mr Banks describes as a "transmogrification" in attitude. Or, indeed, if they favour such a dramatic change. It is possible that if Mr Banks' abrasive and sometimes divisive style offended them, many of his prescriptions, particularly for remedying traffic congestion, were less out of step with their thinking. In many respects, his policies now bear a resemblance to those of his successor.
Thus, close attention will be paid to how Mr Banks plans to achieve "affordability". So far, he has mentioned the need for "strategic" borrowing. This, again, represents a significant switch. Under his mayoralty, debt retirement was a top priority. Much of the impetus for this and relatively slimline rate increases came from the sale of half of the council's shares in Auckland International Airport. Coincidentally, the sale of the balance of that shareholding, valued around $500 million, is on the council table.
The shares should be sold by this or any future council if only because they have no particular strategic value and because the interests of Auckland International Airport, the company, do not always tally with those of ratepayers. Interestingly, Mr Banks lists investigation of a rail link to the airport as one of his priorities. That is certainly not in the interests of the airport company, which earns a significant slice of its income from carparking,
Mr Hubbard says he doubts that Mr Banks, at 60 and after 18 years in politics, has had a road-to-Damascus conversion, and is a softer, gentler person. It is a line that he will doubtless embellish. For his part, he will have to defend his record in areas such as transport projects, heritage buildings and urban design, the latter a subject of close interest, and the necessity for rate hikes and increased water charges.
A political novice at the start of his term, Mr Hubbard has been very strong on his vision for Auckland in 10 or 20 years. He believes people appreciated that, especially after the points-scoring of Mr Bank's term. But come polling day many Aucklanders may be more interested in what difference he has made to their city during the past three years - and whether his challenger could orchestrate change more effectively.
Whichever man wins, he must place a high priority on unifying greater Auckland. The latest limp offering will achieve nothing. Properly empowering the regional council is one way of creating unity. A bolder plan for a supercity with one powerful, effective council is another. Either way, progress is essential.
