Race for mayoral chains swells to 15

Vanessa Neeson. Photo / Supplied

Fifteen candidates - most with no local government experience - believe they have what it takes to lead 1.4 million Aucklanders and control a $3.2 billion budget wearing the mayoral chains of the Super City.

The growing field of mayoral hopefuls includes sitting mayors, an actor, water campaigner and Christians Against Abortion candidate Phil O'Connor, who stood for the Auckland City mayoralty in 2007 and received 1087 votes.

Another 2007 Auckland City mayoral candidate, Raymond Presland, has joined the race. He injected some humour into past mayoral debates and received 497 votes.

Other newcomers for the mayoral contest are Hugh Chapman, Harry Fong, Shannon Gillies, Steve McDonald, Willie Morton and Wayne Young.

Long-time Waitakere City councillor Vanessa Neeson yesterday announced she planned to stand for the Super City mayoralty but was also "seriously" thinking of standing for one of two seats in the Waitakere ward for the Auckland Council.

"If Auckland is dysfunctional now, it will be twice as bad if the council becomes divided by party politics," she said.

Mrs Neeson, who is married to former National Party MP Brian Neeson, said she had always left her politics at the door of the council chamber.

She has been a Waitakere City councillor for 18 years and five times unsuccessfully contested the Waitakere mayoralty.

The new names join Auckland City Mayor John Banks, Manukau Mayor Len Brown, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams, actor Simon Prast, businessman Colin Craig and water campaigner Penny Bright.

A Herald-DigiPoll survey at the weekend showed the race going down to the wire with Mr Brown on 29.6 per cent, less than one point ahead of Mr Banks on 28.7 per cent - within the 3.5 per cent margin of error.

No one else is making any impact.