City Vision is a centre-left local-body political ticket in Auckland, New Zealand, that formed in 1998 as an alliance of Labour, Green, and independent progressive candidates. The group mainly runs candidates in the central Auckland wards and local board seats on the Auckland Council.
City Vision originated in 1998 as a centre-left electoral ticket representing the local Labour, Green parties, and other progressive candidates in the Auckland local council elections.[† 1] It was formed to challenge the centre-right Citizens and Ratepayers Association (C&R), which had dominated control of the Auckland City Council since the C&R's formation in the 1930s. City Vision have traditionally held representation in the centre-west and south of Auckland City.
Platform and positions
The group has campaigned for council to maintain ownership of strategic assets, including shares in Auckland Airport.[1]
Environmental protection, housing, and public transportation have been key issues for the group.[2]
History
2004 election
City Vision and Labour formed a working majority after the 2004 elections (winning nine seats)[3] plus the election of Dick Hubbard to the mayoralty, partnering with Action Hobson anti-motorway councillors to form a bloc of twelve out of twenty.[4]
2004–2007 term
This term was also marked by infighting inside City Vision, with the deposition of leader Bruce Hucker and his replacement by Labour Councillor Richard Northey, a former Labour MP.[5][6]
2013–2016 term
In 2016, City Vision called for a total review of local voting, including evaluation of online voting feasibility and a single polling day.[7]
During the 2022 Auckland local elections, City Vision candidate Julie Fairey was elected as a councillor for the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward. In addition, seven City Vision candidates were elected to local boards and three candidates to the Portage Licensing Trust.[‡ 1]
City Vision members of the Waitematā Local Board backed Genevieve Sage, a member of Communities & Residents, to be the board's chair; C&R had won a majority on the board (4 to City Vision's 3). There was only six members present (one of City Vision's members was absent), leading to the vote becoming deadlocked 3-3, with a coin toss deciding the vote in Sage's favour.[8]
The council voted to leave Local Government New Zealand in March 2023; councillor Fairey voted against the withdrawal. Fairey pointed to the networking opportunities with other local government officials as beneficial.[9] In a tweet, she called the decision "short-sighted".[9]
Councillor Fairey opposed Mayor Brown's proposal to sell of Auckland Airport shares; an effort by the mayor to reduce the council's budget deficit. Council officers were investigating whether Fairey had a conflict of interest on the issue, as her husband (Michael Wood) had share's in the airport. Fairey said she was waiting on advice from the Office of the Auditor General, saying she would "follow accordingly regarding my participation in the coming Annual Budget vote."[10]
Fairey made a code of conduct complaint against fellow councillor Ken Turner following a heated moment at a council meeting. After seven hours of debate on whether to get rid of speedway from Western Springs, Fairey motioned for it to be closed. Turner allegedly began yelling, banging on the table, and turning his mic on and off. Turner acknowledge his outburst, saying it wasn't directed at anyone in particular. Fairey told the Star-Times that the issue between her and Turner had been resolved and that she wouldn't comment further. The councillors switched chairs to sit further apart; council staff were satisfied that this would prevent "further incident". The complaint was not upheld, with staff saying that they had concluded there had not been a breach, taking into account the "challenging" nature of heated discussions. Turner said the situation ended differently; he said that he had "had enough" and told investigators to either sue him or go away.[11]
The group announced candidates in March; these included incumbent councillor Julie Fairey and local board member Jon Turner running for the Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa Ward. Patrick Reynolds would be the group's candidate for Waitematā and Gulf Ward. The group's chair Bobby Shen said the group would focus on ensuring houses were built near public transport and that the city's waterways would be restored through protection of the environment.[2]
Lists of representatives
2022–2025 term
City Vision elected members for the 2022–2025 term included:[‡ 1]
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