Incoming Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has congratulated all 20 elected councillors to the Auckland Council governing body and the 149 elected members of local boards.
He thanked everyone who stood for mayor, the governing body or a local board for participating in the democratic process, and the 405,149 Aucklanders who returned their voting papers, the second-highest number on record.
In particular, Mr Brown congratulated Julie Fairey and Kerrin Leoni who had to wait a week for the results of the close races in Albert-Eden-Puketapapa and Whau.
“No matter how close, every councillor and every local board member has a mandate to represent their communities, deliver their promises from the campaign trail and work together to fix Auckland,” Mr Brown said.
Mr Brown is pleased this year’s election turnout was higher than three years ago, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of registered voters.
“It is flattering to know 181,810 Aucklanders expressed their confidence in me with their votes, and exciting to be getting on with the job of fixing Auckland for everyone.”
Mr Brown’s 181,810 votes compares with the 180,146 and 187,622 won by Phil Goff in 2019 and 2016 respectively, and the 164,338 and 237,487 won by Len Brown in 2013 and 2010. He won 45% of returned votes with a majority over the next candidate of 57,008, or 14%.
Mr Brown has spent his first week in the job in discussions with re-elected and incoming members of the governing body.
So far, he has held formal hour-long meetings with 15 of the 20: Greg Sayers, Wayne Walker, Chris Darby, Shane Henderson, Richard Hills, Christine Fletcher, John Watson, Sharon Stewart, Mike Lee, Angela Dalton, Desley Simpson, Alf Filipaina, Daniel Newman, Andy Baker and Ken Turner, and with David Taipari and Tau Henare of the Independent Māori Statutory Board.
He has spoken at length by phone with Maurice Williamson, who had to cancel his formal meeting because of a family situation, and will meet formally with Lotu Fuli, Josephine Bartley, Ms Fairey and Ms Leoni early this week.
Mr Brown also met informally with a number of councillors at Auckland Council yesterday morning and continued his discussions with them, council officers and other advisors through the afternoon off-site.
He has emphasised he wants them all to have meaningful and challenging roles, with real decision-making powers and associated accountabilities.
“With the Independent Māori Statutory Board, we have an opportunity – if we all choose to take it – to build a team of 21+. We are well on our way towards putting behind us the debates and discussions of the election and forging a team to deliver on our campaign promises to make Auckland an even better place to live,” he said.
Mr Brown’s focus this weekend is reading council documents, preparing a statement to be made tomorrow about an industry important to Aucklanders, and surfing.
