Second Auckland councillor forced to correct records because of Auckland Airport shareholding

Councillor Chris Darby has disclosed that his partner holds shares in Auckland International Airport. Councillors are voting tomorrow on whether to sell the council's stake in the airport. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland Councillor Chris Darby has been forced to amend his financial interests declaration because his partner owns shares in Auckland Airport - the second councillor to do so.

Darby, who represents the North Shore Ward, filed an updated declaration of interest yesterday which said that his spouse owned shares in Auckland International Airport.

This detail was not included in his original statement last year.

It comes ahead of a vote on the Auckland Council’s 2023/24 Budget tomorrow, which includes a vote on whether the council should sell its stake in the airport.

Council staff have been looking at all councillors and their spouses’ share ownership to decide whether it is a conflict of interest which should prevent them from participating in the vote.

Darby told the Herald he had not made a final decision on how he will vote tomorrow, and would wait until he had all the information and recommendations in front of him.

Another councillor, Julie Fairey, also corrected her declaration yesterday because she had not disclosed that a trust which she had an interest in held shares in the airport.

Fairey, from the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward, said yesterday that the shareholdings had never had a bearing on her position around the sale of Auckland Airport shares.

She is believed to be opposed to Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposal to offload the shares to help plug the council’s $325 million budget hole.

Auckland Councillor Julie Fairey. Photo / Supplied

Fairey is the wife of Cabinet Minister Michael Wood, who was stood down from his portfolio by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins yesterday over failing to properly disclose his Auckland Airport shares.

Hipkins later revealed that the Cabinet Office had asked Wood six times to sell the shares, which were worth around $13,000. Wood is now selling them.

It has previously been reported that Brown may not have the numbers to support his proposal to sell the council’s 18 per cent stake in the airport, which is worth around $2.4b.

However, if those councillors who have a financial interest in the airport are prevented from voting, the vote could become a closer contest.

Auckland Council director governance and CCO partnerships Phil Wilson said whether ownership of airport shares gave rise to a conflict of interest “is a question of fact that can only be determined on a case-by-case basis”.

He added: “We have been working with multiple councillors to identify any additional requirements ahead of Thursday’s annual budget decision-making.

“Advice of this nature is provided to elected members on a confidential basis. If an elected member has a financial interest in the matters coming before the Governing Body for decision on Thursday, then this will need to be declared by them at the meeting.”

Other councillors have also updated their statements today as a result of the checking process by the council.

Howick councillor Sharon Stewart filed an amended form today which declared that she or her spouse had shares in Mercury Energy.

And Manurewa-Papakura Ward councillor Angela Dalton declared that The Pride Project, a community trust which she chaired, had received local board funding.