Auckland mayoral billboard war begins

Friday, 9 August 2019

Some of John Tamihere's hoardings include his running mate Christine Fletcher

Auckland's election billboard season has kicked off, with Mayor Phil Goff making the biggest splash so far.

Goff's well-funded campaign is the first to have erected large hoardings on commercial advertising sites.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff is picking high-profile sites like Symonds Street for large billboards

His main rival John Tamihere, by contrast, was focussed on hundreds of roadside billboard sites.

There is no longer a fixed season for local body election hoardings, but it has traditionally been nine weeks out from the close of voting, which was Friday.

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A large Goff billboard on a building in Symonds Street proclaims 'New (train) Stations and Services make it easier to get around' alongside an image of Goff and his slogan 'Building Auckland's Future.'

On the northwestern motorway a tall hoarding proclaims Goff will not sell the council company Watercare - a jab at rival Tamihere who favours selling 49 per cent.

Part of his campaign strategy is to remind Aucklanders of progress made during the three years that Goff has been mayor.

Tamihere's campaign has focussed on the 300 public sites available for clusters of election hoardings, hoping to secure the best spots.

'We will put up over 300 hoardings up today and another 200 next week on private sites,' said a campaign spokesperson.

'We aim to have a placard on every street in Auckland by the end of the campaign.'

Tamihere will launch large digital hoardings in a week, along with a revamp of internet and social media campaigning.

Goff's campaign is likely to have the biggest war-chest with $193,000 still in the kitty, unspent, from his 2016 effort.

The leftovers from his 2016 fundraising of $604,171 is almost as much as his nearest rival Vic Crone spent, three years ago.

Smaller-budget mayoral challengers in Auckland are also preparing their advertising push.

Craig Lord hopes to erect around 150 hoardings at designated public sites across the city, starting in about a week.

'There are three basic messages, a question such as 'Guess What Auckland?' followed by a line like 'There is an option',' Lord told Stuff.

'I don't have a big budget, they (Goff and Tamihere) probably have $300-$500,000 to spend.'

John Palino who is mounting his third campaign after finishing fourth in 2016, expected to have hoardings up in a week.

Palino in 2016 declared election expenses of $80,774.

The rules about putting up hoardings in Auckland have become more complicated this election, after a change to the bylaw managed by Auckland Transport.

The blanket nine-week period for hoardings has fragmented, with local boards able to set their own restrictions on parks and reserves which they control.

In Orakei Local Board, hoardings at parks and reserves are allowed only in the last four weeks prior to the election, rather than the customary nine.

The Auckland mayoral race has dwindled in recent weeks with former politician John Banks deciding against a tilt which he had speculated on publicly, and 28-year-old coffee outlet owner Joshua Love pulled the plug on his campaign for personal reasons.

Others can still join the mayoral race, or stand for council, local boards and the district health boards, with nominations closing at midday on Friday, August 16.