KEY POINTS:
Sir Barry Curtis ran the show at Manukau for 24 long years.
Now, with his retirement from the sprawling South Auckland city, 11 mayoral hopefuls are lined up to fill his shoes.
But whether the new mayor can bridge the social divide between the affluent areas of Pakuranga and the eastern beaches and South Auckland's low income suburbs as successfully as Sir Barry did remains to be seen.
The main contenders are experienced councillors Len Brown and Dick Quax, former MP Willie Jackson, Auckland regional councillor Craig Little, and councillor Arthur Anae.
Mr Jackson's bid for the mayoralty has added further spice to what was looking to be a straight fight between Mr Quax and Mr Brown.
There is also a hint of controversy surrounding Mr Jackson, with grumblings that his radio and television roles give him an unfair advantage over the other candidates.
Some questioned whether Mr Jackson's move was more a publicity stunt for radio ratings but this was quickly dismissed by the former unionist and Alliance Party member who said he was an advocate and had "stood up for South Auckland and Manukau for many years".
Mr Jackson will have his work cut out if he wants to beat seasoned local campaigners Mr Brown and Mr Quax.
Sir Barry's exit from office raises the interesting scenario of what will happen to the votes left by his departure.
Lawyer Len Brown, who quit his role as an Otara councillor to focus solely on his 2004 campaign, was the unlucky loser in the last election, missing out by just 566 votes. Between Mr Brown and Sir Barry, 42,000 votes were polled - nearly a quarter of all votes cast.
Mr Brown, who said that under his leadership Manukau would hold its shares in the Auckland Airport Company, has campaigned hard for nearly a year, knocking on hundreds of doors.
Mr Quax polled third with 18,380 votes in 2004 while Mr Little romped home by more than 19,000 votes in the Auckland Regional Council elections at the same time.
Mr Quax has pushed for greater council accountability saying spending on staff and consultants had increased above the rate of inflation and that of the private sector.
Mr Little admitted to not having an in-depth knowledge of Manukau governance but said his years as a regional councillor meant it would not take him long to identify issues.
Meanwhile Mr Anae, a councillor for Otara who says he has severed his ties with the National Party, is seen as a strong contender for the Polynesian vote.
The 61-year-old, who says his Samoan, Chinese and English ancestry represents the diversity of Manukau, wants the city to be "the most user-friendly in New Zealand" with less red tape and bureaucracy.
The candidates
Arthur Anae - Former National Party list MP
Baskaran Appu - Meat worker
Len Brown - Former councillor
David Collings - Councillor
John Harvey - Independent
Willie Jackson - Broadcaster
Annie King - Independent, spokeswoman for the Manukau Water Pressure group
Craig Little - ARC councillor, former broadcaster
Paul Pavletich - Chief executive of Motorcycling NZ
Dick Quax - Councillor, former Olympian
Sir Barry Curtis ran the show at Manukau for 24 long years.
