By Times Team

Copyright times

By Jane Nixon, Franklin Times

Mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni says incumbent mayor Wayne Brown has only shown up to three of the 13 Meet the Candidates events for the Auckland local elections.

Voting for the elections opened on September 9 and will close at 12pm on October 11.

Auckland Council says the Meet Your Candidates events are hosted by organisations the council is partnering with.

It does not include events run independently by other community groups.

“These events give voters the opportunity to meet local election candidates and ask questions about their priorities for Auckland,” says the council.

“Each event will feature candidates standing for a specific local board and ward.”

Elected as Whau ward councillor in 2022, Leoni has been representing the west Auckland areas that include New Lynn, Avondale and Kelston.

She told the Times that Brown left a Meet Your Candidates event on September 15 after 30 minutes.

“The meeting lasted for at least two hours, and I stayed the entire time,” Leoni says.

“I have only seen him at three events and each time he leaves early.

“I have been to all the 13 meetings I have been invited to.

“I find it arrogant he won’t engage in debates. They [the debates] are meant to be interviews and part of democracy.”

In a statement to the Times, a spokesperson for the Brown campaign refutes Leoni’s criticism of the mayor’s appearance record.

“The people of Auckland have seen Wayne continuing to work very hard as mayor in recent weeks,” says the statement.

“Auckland Transport is being brought under local control, and he officially opened the new Watercare plant at Snells Beach.

“Wayne Brown has been to dozens of meetings across the city, including many Meet the Candidates events.

“He’s unable to attend every single one, as there are often scheduling conflicts with his mayoral duties, and not all candidates are invited to all meetings.

“There are 1.2 million potential voters in this election,” says the statement from Brown’s campaign spokesperson.

“Many of the other candidates make the same, repetitive speeches and unsubstantiated claims.

“There are better uses of his time as he seeks to serve the ratepayers of Auckland.”

Meanwhile, a poll conducted between August 11-15 by Freshwater Strategy surveyed 1246 residents in Auckland.

The results showed Brown’s support at around 65 per cent among likely voters.

Leoni had 7 per cent support.

The number of those who had a favourable view of the incumbent mayor totalled 30 per cent.

Those with an unfavourable view was 27 per cent.

Some 14 per cent of respondents had never heard of Brown, and 29 per cent were neutral or unsure.

Some 12 per cent of respondents had a favourable view of Leoni, 6 per cent an unfavourable view, and 50 per cent of respondents had never heard of her, while 32 per cent remained neutral or unsure.