Thieves target Auckland Council candidate

Greg McKeown woke up this morning to find his home had been targeted. Photo / Supplied

Thieves ransacked an Auckland Council candidate's Mt Eden home as he and his family slept, before taking a trailer off his car, which was full with election billboards, and driving off in it.

Greg McKeown woke up this morning to find his home had been targeted.

"I lost much more than a daylight hour," he told the Herald.

The Albert-Eden candidate said he went to bed at midnight and someone broke into his house sometime before 9am when his family got up.

"They crept through the house while my wife, daughter and I were sleeping in it," he said.

"They passed within two metres of our bedrooms."

The burglar stole his laptop computer, which was full of information about his candidacy, "ransacked" his office and unbolted the trailer from his blue Subaru - registration CCJ332 - before stealing the car, which had five election billboards in the back.

His wife's wallet was stolen from the house and credit cards have been used in a range of petrol stations overnight, McKeown said.

Ironically, as part of McKeown's election campaign, he pasted a yellow 'open doors' label on to his election billboards, representing his belief that the council needs to maintain transparency.

"Someone has decided to break in through my back door a few days after I put my open doors sign up," he said.

McKeown said he had reported the burglary to police.

This is McKeown's fourth time standing for Auckland City Council. He was first elected in 2001 and has previously served as the chair of Auckland City Council's transport committee.