This year’s local elections aren’t for another 10 months, but that hasn’t stopped Ted Johnston from announcing his candidacy for Auckland’s mayoralty already.
The experienced criminal barrister says he’s standing for the role again and it’s time for “competence and good policies to be the decider”.
“Isn’t it time we got the best mayor, with the best policies, not the one with the most money to spend, and the best political connections?
“When we look around Auckland, at our failures in public transport, skyrocketing rates and other problems, this is the mess you get, with incompetent mayors.
“As a lawyer I can help navigate Auckland through its problems and make it the best city it can be.”
Johnston stood for Auckland’s mayoralty at the 2022 local body elections representing the New Conservatives NZ, finishing ninth with 4841 votes.
The mayoralty was won by Wayne Brown with 181,810 votes.
Brown has not yet publicly confirmed if he plans to run for re-election this year.
Johnston says the primary problem in the city is traffic congestion and a “seriously inadequate public transport system”.
“Decades of silly policies and underinvestment have been inadequate Band-Aids, which only intensified its problems, not solved them.”
He’s advocating for a linked transport network spanning the North Shore, West Auckland, Botany and the eastern suburbs, and the Airport to Papakura.
“Also, a proper network of single-gauge trains that can ship goods across Auckland at night when people are not using it.”
He says he’d work with the Government to shut down council-controlled organisations such as Auckland Transport, which “hold and control much of Auckland’s assets but act like little kingdoms and are not accountable to the ratepayer and citizens of Auckland”.
“These were set up due to a failed belief we [the] people of Auckland couldn’t look after it ourselves.”
Among the other policies Johnston is promoting are working with police, generating more income, and having the council focus on core services such as water provision, rubbish collection, sewerage, infrastructure, and city regulation.
“Also, a fiscally responsible council, spending on needs first and wants later.
“Further, a proper sharing of city resources to where they are needed.
“No wastage on pie-in-the-sky global warming ideologies, and an extension of the [Auckland] Harbour Bridge making it also a major feature pushing our tourism.
“An Azure Arch to rival the Golden Gate Bridge [in San Francisco].
“Social spending should not be borne solely by ratepayers. Council can raise its own funds partly by a new Auckland Lottery where all the profits and proceeds go back into Auckland.
“I aim to help Auckland be the city where you as a citizen are able to ‘live your best life’.”
Johnston was among the people who took part in a mayoral candidates’ debate held in Howick during the previous local elections in 2022.
At the time he said there are problems with Auckland Transport, “massive wastage”, and talked about issues relating to public transport.
“We’ve got a situation where the Government’s going to spend $14.9 billion to build light rail from Britomart to the airport, but it’s only 7km from the Puhinui Station to the airport.
“So why are we wasting $15b? This whole city has quite a good skeleton for a rail system.
“Having lived in London I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.”
Candidate nominations for the 2025 local elections open on July 4 and close on August 1.
Voting papers are sent out from September 9-25 and voting is open from September 9 to October 11. Voting closes at 12pm on October 11.
Progress and preliminary results will be published on October 11 and final results announced on October 14-17.
