Mount Albert by-election, 2009
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held in the New Zealand electorate of Mount Albert
on 13 June 2009. There were fifteen candidates in the election. David Shearer
of the Labour Party
won the election with 63% of the vote. The seat was vacated by former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark
, who resigned from the New Zealand Parliament
on 17 April 2009 following her appointment to head the United Nations Development Programme
.
Main issues surrounding the campaign included the building of the Waterview Connection
and the Auckland Region
becoming a supercity
.
, Avondale
, Waterview
, as well as the eponymous Mount Albert. It has been held by the New Zealand Labour Party
since its creation in 1946
; Helen Clark was its representative from 1981
until 2009 and enjoyed a large majority in Mt Albert, winning 59% of the electorate vote in the 2008 election
while Labour only won 42% of the party vote.
Prior to the election, National
had 58 seats in the House of Representatives
, Labour
had 42, Green
had 9, ACT had 5, Māori
had 5, Progressive
had 1, and United Future had 1. Labour had lost one seat since the general election
, as a result of the resignation of Clark, which caused the by-election.
Former UN Deputy Special Representative
and 2002
candidate for Whangarei
David Shearer
won the Labour
nomination from a field of eight candidates including lawyer Helen White and Auckland City
councillor Glenda Fryer.
Shortly after his selection, media attention focused on articles he wrote for Foreign Affairs
and World Today (in 1998 and 2001 respectively) arguing for the use and regulation of private military companies by Western governments for peacekeeping missions where they are unwilling to contribute troops. This was at odds with the position of Labour Party Leader and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff
.
National Party Leader and Prime Minister John Key
said this was "a hypocritical position" because Labour claimed during 2008's election
campaign that National had a secret privatisation agenda.
Media speculation prior to the selection suggested that the Labour Party nomination would go to then-current list MP Phil Twyford
. Twyford announced that he would not seek the seat on 21 April. This followed media reports that the Labour Party was unwilling to allow Twyford's list place to be taken by defeated Auckland Central MP Judith Tizard
.
First-term list MP Melissa Lee
beat 2008 candidate Ravi Masuku for the National Party
nomination on 5 May.
Lee faced allegations that her production company Asia Vision had spent New Zealand on Air
money making a promotional video for the National Party ahead of the 2008 election. Lee called the allegations "ridiculous", saying that all work on the video was done on a voluntary basis. New Zealand on Air investigated and cleared Lee of any misconduct. The Green Party complained to the Electoral Commission, saying that the video should have been declared as an election expense.
If Lee had won the by-election, the next (58th) person on the National Party
list – Conway Powell – would have become a list MP, as Lee was already a list MP.
co-leader Russel Norman
was the only nomination from his party and was the first candidate from a party then in Parliament to declare his candidacy. In 2008, he stood in Rongotai
, finishing third with 15.84% of the vote.
If Norman had won the by-election, the next (10th) person on the Green Party
list – David Clendon
– would have become a list MP, as Norman was already a list MP.
on 2 May. In the 2008 election, Boscawen ran in the seat of North Shore
, coming fourth with 4% of the vote.
If Boscawen had won the by-election, the next (6th) person on the ACT list – Hilary Calvert
– would have become a list MP, as Boscawen was already a list MP.
was announced as her party's candidate on 14 May. In 2008, Turner stood in the East Coast
seat, coming fifth with 3.3 percent of the vote.
Ben Boyce is the second half of the comedy duo Bill and Ben. They stood on a "no policies, no promises, no disappointment" platform in 2008 and out-polled all other minor parties.
Simonne Dyer
Businesswoman Simonne Dyer was selected by The Kiwi Party on 4 May. In 2008 she was her party's candidate for Rodney
, where she finished second to last with 1.55% of the vote.
Dakta Green
Former National Party chair of the Pakuranga
electorate Dakta Green was selected as the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
candidate on 2 May. Green had been arrested a number of times in the campaign for drugs offences. In response, Green has alleged police harassment and political interference in his campaign.
Julian Pistorius
Julian Pistorius was a 32 year old computer programmer and former deputy leader of Libertarianz
.
Jackson Wood
Jackson Wood is the current editor of Victoria University
student magazine Salient
. He announced his independent
candidacy on 21 April, being the first person to do so. He campaigned from Wellington, instead of Auckland, save for an open-invite slingshot battle on top of Mount Albert on 6 June, which he has invited all other candidates to attend.
Malcolm France
Climaction coordinator. France's policies include:
France smeared
a chocolate lamington
cake on ACT candidate Boscawen
in protest of the supercity.
Rusty Kane
Advocates binding citizens initiated referendums.
Anthony van den Heuvel
Van den Heuvel is of the Human Rights Party
.
Jim Bagnall
Bagnall contested the election for the Union of Fathers.
Ari Baker
Independent candidate
" – the connection of the Southwestern motorway at Mount Roskill with the Northwestern motorway at the suburb of Waterview, on the northern edge of the seat.
Transit New Zealand
announced in 2008 (during the last year of the Fifth Labour Government) that its preferred option was for a two-lane tunnel costed at NZ$1.97 billion. The final cost of NZ$3.1 billion cited by the National Government included an expansion to a three-lane tunnel, upgrades to connecting roads and financing costs.
In May 2009, National's Transport Minister Steven Joyce
announced that he was "not comfortable" with this cost, preferring a surface option costing NZ$1.1 billion. Although this option is over a billion dollars cheaper, the plan will require the demolition of 365 houses along the route in addition to the ones required for the tunnel option.
Labour called the option "second class" and that the decision was dismissive of the wishes of the people of Mount Albert. Green Party candidate Russel Norman described the plan as "better than the worst of all options", but added that the best anti-congestion investment would be public transport. National's candidate Melissa Lee backed the surface option, saying that the decision would bring certainty to the area. She also suggests that the tunnel option was "unaffordable". Meanwhile, Independent candidate Jackson Wood proposed a series of zeppelins to carry cars without the need for any construction.
Melissa Lee was widely criticised for claiming that the SH20 Waterview Connection
would stop criminals from South Auckland committing crime in Mt Albert. Her party leader John Key
called her comments "stupid" and Lee later apologised.
was another issue that was raised in the by-election campaign. The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
released its report at the end of March and the ruling National Party outlined its plans before campaigning began.
Labour
did not support the current legislation relating to the supercity, and filibuster
ed on the weekend of 15–18 May 2009, by proposing about 1000 amendments to the legislation, as the government was not sending it to the select committee process, and that a referendum was not being held for Aucklanders to decide whether a supercity was wanted.
show on Sunday, 10 May.
On Sunday, 7 June, Russel Norman and John Boscawen were interviewed on the show.
, Melissa Lee
, Russel Norman
, David Shearer
and Judy Turner
(the candidates from five main parties) appeared on the TVNZ
show Back Benches
. This episode was filmed and aired on 10 June, and was reshown on 12 June, on the channel TVNZ7.
Shearer's huge majority meant that a low turnout
was predicted, because voters may have felt that the result was inevitable. Actual turnout was 20,943, a 41% decrease on that of the 2008 general election.
Campaign sites
New Zealand by-elections
By-elections in New Zealand occur to fill vacant seats in the New Zealand Parliament. The death, resignation, or expulsion of a sitting electorate MP can cause a by-election...
was held in the New Zealand electorate of Mount Albert
Mount Albert (New Zealand electorate)
Mount Albert is a Parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. It has been represented by David Shearer since a by-election on 13 June 2009. It was represented by Helen Clark from the 1981 general election until...
on 13 June 2009. There were fifteen candidates in the election. David Shearer
David Shearer
David James Shearer, MBE is a humanitarian worker and politician from New Zealand. He won the Mount Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 to become a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand for the Labour Party...
of the Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
won the election with 63% of the vote. The seat was vacated by former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
, who resigned from the New Zealand Parliament
Parliament of New Zealand
The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Queen of New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council. The House of Representatives is often referred to as "Parliament".The House of Representatives usually consists of 120 Members of...
on 17 April 2009 following her appointment to head the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
.
Main issues surrounding the campaign included the building of the Waterview Connection
SH20 Waterview Connection
The Waterview Connection is a planned motorway section which will form part of the Western Ring Route through Auckland, New Zealand. It is to connect the stub of State Highway 20 in the south from Mt Roskill to join up with another motorway, State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier, and is a...
and the Auckland Region
Auckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
becoming a supercity
Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance was established by the New Zealand Government to investigate the local government arrangements of Auckland....
.
Background
The Mount Albert electorate is based around the neighbourhoods of western and central Auckland City. It includes the suburbs of Point Chevalier, KingslandKingsland, New Zealand
Kingsland is an Auckland City suburb in New Zealand. Kingsland is under the local governance of the Auckland City Council. According to the 2001 census, Kingsland has a population of 4005 people....
, Avondale
Avondale, Auckland
Avondale is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located in the Whau ward, one of the thirteen administrative divisions for the Auckland Council. It is commonly considered to be part of West Auckland. It was originally called "Te Whau", which is the common name, of Māori origin, for Entelea...
, Waterview
Waterview, New Zealand
Waterview is a suburb of Auckland City, located along the western edge of central part of Auckland's isthmus. The geographical boundaries of Waterview are Oakley Creek in the east, Heron Park in the south, the Waitemata Harbour in the West, and the SH16 motorway and the Oakley Creek inlet in the...
, as well as the eponymous Mount Albert. It has been held by the New Zealand Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
since its creation in 1946
New Zealand general election, 1946
The 1946 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 28th term. It saw the governing Labour Party re-elected, but by a substantially narrower margin than in the three previous elections...
; Helen Clark was its representative from 1981
New Zealand general election, 1981
The 1981 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the 40th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the governing National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, win a third term in office, although the opposition Labour Party, led by Bill Rowling, actually won the largest share of...
until 2009 and enjoyed a large majority in Mt Albert, winning 59% of the electorate vote in the 2008 election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
while Labour only won 42% of the party vote.
Prior to the election, National
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
had 58 seats in the House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
, Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
had 42, Green
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
had 9, ACT had 5, Māori
Maori Party
The Māori Party, a political party in New Zealand, was formed on 7 July 2004. The Party is guided by eight constitutional "kaupapa", or Party objectives. Tariana Turia formed the Māori Party after resigning from the Labour Party where she had been a Cabinet Minister in the Fifth Labour-led...
had 5, Progressive
New Zealand Progressive Party
Jim Anderton's Progressive Party , is a New Zealand political party generally somewhat to the left of its ally, the Labour Party....
had 1, and United Future had 1. Labour had lost one seat since the general election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
, as a result of the resignation of Clark, which caused the by-election.
Key dates
The key dates for the by-election are as follows:- Writ Day – Monday 11 May
- Nominations Open – Tuesday 12 May
- Nominations Day – Tuesday 19 May
- Advance Voting start – Wednesday 27 May
- Election – Saturday 13 June
- Official Results – Thursday 25 June
- Returns of Writs – Tuesday 30 June
David Shearer (Labour)
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
A Special Representative of the Secretary-General is a highly respected expert who has been appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to represent her/him in meetings with heads of state on critical human rights issues...
and 2002
New Zealand general election, 2002
The 2002 New Zealand general election was held on 27 July 2002 to determine the composition of the 47th New Zealand Parliament. It saw the reelection of Helen Clark's Labour Party government, as well as the worst-ever performance by the opposition National Party.Arguably the most controversial...
candidate for Whangarei
Whangarei (New Zealand electorate)
rightWhangarei is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.National Party MP Phil Heatley has held it since 2008.-Population Centres:The electorate includes the following population centres:* Whangarei* Hikurangi* Ruakaka...
David Shearer
David Shearer
David James Shearer, MBE is a humanitarian worker and politician from New Zealand. He won the Mount Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 to become a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand for the Labour Party...
won the Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
nomination from a field of eight candidates including lawyer Helen White and Auckland City
Auckland City
Auckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...
councillor Glenda Fryer.
Shortly after his selection, media attention focused on articles he wrote for Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
and World Today (in 1998 and 2001 respectively) arguing for the use and regulation of private military companies by Western governments for peacekeeping missions where they are unwilling to contribute troops. This was at odds with the position of Labour Party Leader and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
.
National Party Leader and Prime Minister John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
said this was "a hypocritical position" because Labour claimed during 2008's election
New Zealand general election, 2008
The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
campaign that National had a secret privatisation agenda.
Media speculation prior to the selection suggested that the Labour Party nomination would go to then-current list MP Phil Twyford
Phil Twyford
Philip Stoner Twyford is a politician from New Zealand and a member of the Labour Party. He has been a member of parliament since 2008. He is the Labour Party candidate for Te Atatū.-Member of Parliament:...
. Twyford announced that he would not seek the seat on 21 April. This followed media reports that the Labour Party was unwilling to allow Twyford's list place to be taken by defeated Auckland Central MP Judith Tizard
Judith Tizard
Judith Tizard is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Judith Ngaire Tizard was born in Auckland in 1956...
.
Melissa Lee (National)
Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee is a New Zealand politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives as a list MP for the National Party in the 2008 election. She is currently a member of the Commerce and Law and Order committees....
beat 2008 candidate Ravi Masuku for the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
nomination on 5 May.
Lee faced allegations that her production company Asia Vision had spent New Zealand on Air
New Zealand On Air
NZ On Air is an independent New Zealand broadcast funding agency. It is an autonomous crown entity separate from central Government and governed by a Board of six appointed by the Minister of Broadcasting...
money making a promotional video for the National Party ahead of the 2008 election. Lee called the allegations "ridiculous", saying that all work on the video was done on a voluntary basis. New Zealand on Air investigated and cleared Lee of any misconduct. The Green Party complained to the Electoral Commission, saying that the video should have been declared as an election expense.
If Lee had won the by-election, the next (58th) person on the National Party
New Zealand National Party
The New Zealand National Party is the largest party in the New Zealand House of Representatives and in November 2008 formed a minority government with support from three minor parties.-Policies:...
list – Conway Powell – would have become a list MP, as Lee was already a list MP.
- note: originally Cam CalderCam CalderCampbell Gordon Calder , known as Cam Calder is a New Zealand doctor and politician representing the National Party as a member of Parliament.-Background:...
would have been the next list MP, but the day before the election (12 June) list MP Dr Richard WorthRichard WorthRichard Westwood Worth, OBE, VRD, KStJ is a former New Zealand politician. He was a member of the National Party parliamentary caucus until he resigned on Friday 12 June 2009.-Background:...
resigned from parliament over sexual allegations, so Calder became an MP regardless.
Russel Norman (Green)
Green PartyGreen Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
co-leader Russel Norman
Russel Norman
Dr Russel William Norman is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. He is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of the Green Party alongside Metiria Turei.- Early life :...
was the only nomination from his party and was the first candidate from a party then in Parliament to declare his candidacy. In 2008, he stood in Rongotai
Rongotai (New Zealand electorate)
Rongotai is a New Zealand electorate, returning a single member to the New Zealand House of Representatitves. The current MP for Rongotai is Annette King, of the Labour Party. She has held this position since 1996.-Description:...
, finishing third with 15.84% of the vote.
If Norman had won the by-election, the next (10th) person on the Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
list – David Clendon
David Clendon
David James Clendon is a New Zealand politician and member of the Green Party. Following the resignation of Sue Bradford, Clendon became a Member of the New Zealand Parliament on 2 November 2009.-Personal life:...
– would have become a list MP, as Norman was already a list MP.
John Boscawen (ACT)
ACT selected list MP John BoscawenJohn Boscawen
John Boscawen is an ACT New Zealand member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and as of May 2011, ACT's Parliamentary Leader and former Minister of Consumer Affairs of New Zealand. He came to parliament in the 2008 general election as a list MP, having been ranked fourth...
on 2 May. In the 2008 election, Boscawen ran in the seat of North Shore
North Shore (New Zealand electorate)
North Shore is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for North Shore is Wayne Mapp MP of the National Party...
, coming fourth with 4% of the vote.
If Boscawen had won the by-election, the next (6th) person on the ACT list – Hilary Calvert
Hilary Calvert
Hilary Calvert is a lawyer and a member of the New Zealand parliament for the ACT Party. Following the resignation of ACT MP David Garrett in September 2010, she assumed a position in the House of Representatives as the next MP on ACT's list....
– would have become a list MP, as Boscawen was already a list MP.
Judy Turner (United Future)
United Future party president and former MP (2002–2008) Judy TurnerJudy Turner
Judy Turner is a New Zealand politician who is the deputy leader of United Future New Zealand. She was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008 as a list MP.-Member of Parliament:...
was announced as her party's candidate on 14 May. In 2008, Turner stood in the East Coast
East Coast (New Zealand electorate)
East Coast is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The electorate first existed from 1871 to 1893. From 1996 to 2002, the electorate was called Mahia...
seat, coming fifth with 3.3 percent of the vote.
Other candidates
Ben BoyceBen Boyce is the second half of the comedy duo Bill and Ben. They stood on a "no policies, no promises, no disappointment" platform in 2008 and out-polled all other minor parties.
Simonne Dyer
Businesswoman Simonne Dyer was selected by The Kiwi Party on 4 May. In 2008 she was her party's candidate for Rodney
Rodney (New Zealand electorate)
rightRodney is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. The current MP for Rodney is Mark Mitchell of the National Party...
, where she finished second to last with 1.55% of the vote.
Dakta Green
Former National Party chair of the Pakuranga
Pakuranga (New Zealand electorate)
rightPakuranga is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.It is currently held by Maurice Williamson MP, a member of the National Party.-Population centres:Pakuranga is one of sixty-three general electorates used in New Zealand general elections...
electorate Dakta Green was selected as the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party is a political party in New Zealand. It is dedicated to removing or reducing restrictions on the use of cannabis and similar substances...
candidate on 2 May. Green had been arrested a number of times in the campaign for drugs offences. In response, Green has alleged police harassment and political interference in his campaign.
Julian Pistorius
Julian Pistorius was a 32 year old computer programmer and former deputy leader of Libertarianz
Libertarianz
Libertarianz is a political party in New Zealand that advocates libertarianism, favouring self-government and limiting the power of the government over the individual. Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is a major influence on the party...
.
Jackson Wood
Jackson Wood is the current editor of Victoria University
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
student magazine Salient
Salient (magazine)
Salient is the weekly students' magazine of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Salient was established in 1938 and originally published in newspaper format, but has lately become a magazine. Salient's style and editorial...
. He announced his independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidacy on 21 April, being the first person to do so. He campaigned from Wellington, instead of Auckland, save for an open-invite slingshot battle on top of Mount Albert on 6 June, which he has invited all other candidates to attend.
Malcolm France
Climaction coordinator. France's policies include:
- Civil disobedience against motorway
- No supercity
- $15 minimum wage.
France smeared
Pieing
Pieing is the act of throwing a pie at a person or persons. This can be a political action when the target is an authority figure, politician, or celebrity and can be used as a means of protesting against the target's political beliefs, or against perceived arrogance or vanity. Perpetrators...
a chocolate lamington
Lamington
A lamington is a sponge cake of Australian origin in the shape of a cuboid, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. Lamingtons are sometimes served as two halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jam between, and are commonly found in South African and...
cake on ACT candidate Boscawen
John Boscawen
John Boscawen is an ACT New Zealand member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and as of May 2011, ACT's Parliamentary Leader and former Minister of Consumer Affairs of New Zealand. He came to parliament in the 2008 general election as a list MP, having been ranked fourth...
in protest of the supercity.
Rusty Kane
Advocates binding citizens initiated referendums.
Anthony van den Heuvel
Van den Heuvel is of the Human Rights Party
Human Rights Party (New Zealand)
The Human Rights Party is a small political party in New Zealand. It focuses on what it sees as social justice, believing that insufficient emphasis is placed on people's economic, social and cultural rights...
.
Jim Bagnall
Bagnall contested the election for the Union of Fathers.
Ari Baker
Independent candidate
Waterview Connection
A main issue in the campaign was the "Waterview ConnectionSH20 Waterview Connection
The Waterview Connection is a planned motorway section which will form part of the Western Ring Route through Auckland, New Zealand. It is to connect the stub of State Highway 20 in the south from Mt Roskill to join up with another motorway, State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier, and is a...
" – the connection of the Southwestern motorway at Mount Roskill with the Northwestern motorway at the suburb of Waterview, on the northern edge of the seat.
Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand
Transit New Zealand was, from 1989 to 2008, the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand State Highway network...
announced in 2008 (during the last year of the Fifth Labour Government) that its preferred option was for a two-lane tunnel costed at NZ$1.97 billion. The final cost of NZ$3.1 billion cited by the National Government included an expansion to a three-lane tunnel, upgrades to connecting roads and financing costs.
In May 2009, National's Transport Minister Steven Joyce
Steven Joyce
Steven Leonard Joyce is a New Zealand politician, who entered the New Zealand House of Representatives in 2008 as a member of the New Zealand National Party...
announced that he was "not comfortable" with this cost, preferring a surface option costing NZ$1.1 billion. Although this option is over a billion dollars cheaper, the plan will require the demolition of 365 houses along the route in addition to the ones required for the tunnel option.
Labour called the option "second class" and that the decision was dismissive of the wishes of the people of Mount Albert. Green Party candidate Russel Norman described the plan as "better than the worst of all options", but added that the best anti-congestion investment would be public transport. National's candidate Melissa Lee backed the surface option, saying that the decision would bring certainty to the area. She also suggests that the tunnel option was "unaffordable". Meanwhile, Independent candidate Jackson Wood proposed a series of zeppelins to carry cars without the need for any construction.
Melissa Lee was widely criticised for claiming that the SH20 Waterview Connection
SH20 Waterview Connection
The Waterview Connection is a planned motorway section which will form part of the Western Ring Route through Auckland, New Zealand. It is to connect the stub of State Highway 20 in the south from Mt Roskill to join up with another motorway, State Highway 16 in the west at Point Chevalier, and is a...
would stop criminals from South Auckland committing crime in Mt Albert. Her party leader John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
called her comments "stupid" and Lee later apologised.
Auckland governance
The governance of the Auckland RegionAuckland Region
The Auckland Region was one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for the city of Auckland, the country's largest urban area. With one third of the nation's residents, it was by far the biggest population and economy of any region of New Zealand, but the second-smallest land area.On 1...
was another issue that was raised in the by-election campaign. The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
Royal Commission on Auckland Governance
The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance was established by the New Zealand Government to investigate the local government arrangements of Auckland....
released its report at the end of March and the ruling National Party outlined its plans before campaigning began.
Labour
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
did not support the current legislation relating to the supercity, and filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
ed on the weekend of 15–18 May 2009, by proposing about 1000 amendments to the legislation, as the government was not sending it to the select committee process, and that a referendum was not being held for Aucklanders to decide whether a supercity was wanted.
Debates
- Unitec
- Auckland University
- Plunket
- Public Service Association
- Combined Churches (Ecumenical Group) of Mt Albert
- Bfm
- NiuFM/531PI
- Radio Live
Q+A
David Shearer and Melissa Lee were interviewed by Paul Holmes on TVNZ'sTelevision New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
show on Sunday, 10 May.
On Sunday, 7 June, Russel Norman and John Boscawen were interviewed on the show.
Back Benches
On Wednesday, 10 June, John BoscawenJohn Boscawen
John Boscawen is an ACT New Zealand member of the New Zealand House of Representatives and as of May 2011, ACT's Parliamentary Leader and former Minister of Consumer Affairs of New Zealand. He came to parliament in the 2008 general election as a list MP, having been ranked fourth...
, Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee is a New Zealand politician. She was elected to the House of Representatives as a list MP for the National Party in the 2008 election. She is currently a member of the Commerce and Law and Order committees....
, Russel Norman
Russel Norman
Dr Russel William Norman is a New Zealand politician and environmentalist. He is a Member of Parliament and co-leader of the Green Party alongside Metiria Turei.- Early life :...
, David Shearer
David Shearer
David James Shearer, MBE is a humanitarian worker and politician from New Zealand. He won the Mount Albert by-election on 13 June 2009 to become a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand for the Labour Party...
and Judy Turner
Judy Turner
Judy Turner is a New Zealand politician who is the deputy leader of United Future New Zealand. She was a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2002 to 2008 as a list MP.-Member of Parliament:...
(the candidates from five main parties) appeared on the TVNZ
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
show Back Benches
Back Benches
Back Benches is a New Zealand political interview show, presented by Wallace Chapman and Damian Christie. It is filmed at the 'Backbencher' pub across the road from Parliament Buildings in Wellington, at 9.10 pm Wednesday nights , and reshown on Thursday mornings, Friday nights, and Saturday mornings...
. This episode was filmed and aired on 10 June, and was reshown on 12 June, on the channel TVNZ7.
Polls
| Party | Candidate | ONE News/Colmar Brunton–released 7 June | TV3/Reid–released 10 June | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | David Shearer | 59% | 61.7% | |
| National | Melissa Lee | 21% | 20.6% | |
| Green | Russel Norman | 15% | 13% | |
| ACT | John Boscawen | 3.3% | 3.6% | |
| Others | 1.7% | 1.1% | ||
| Sample | 500 | 750 | ||
| Margin of error | 4.4% | 3.6% | ||
Shearer's huge majority meant that a low turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was predicted, because voters may have felt that the result was inevitable. Actual turnout was 20,943, a 41% decrease on that of the 2008 general election.
External links
- Elections New Zealand – Mount Albert by-election page
Campaign sites