Two centre-right tickets are going head-to-head in a key ward at the local body elections in Auckland.
The long-established Communities and Residents (C&R) ticket has selected two candidates for the Albert-Eden-Roskill ward, sitting councillor Chris Fletcher and 29-year-old engineer Ben Lee.
This follows a decision by the new Auckland Future ticket to select a young lawyer Rob Harris to contest one of two seats in the ward.
The two tickets, who are hoping for a centre-right majority on the Auckland Council, have been unable to resolve some differences - notably a fiscal responsibility pledge by Auckland Futre to cap rates at 2 per cent, cut $500 million of waste, reduce staff costs and get debt under control.
Fletcher was furious at being linked to Auckland Future in March and made it clear she was standing under the C&R banner.