PicoBlog

When you fly into Auckland, this beautiful place in the world, you see the landscape, the unique colours and contours of the land and sea. You are not landing at a fully developed Europe destination where all the towns seem to join up as one, or a sweaty Asian city with skyscrapers reaching to the sky. It is not a North American landscape with deserts and mighty highways criss crossing the place. It is a pacific island temperate, a little humid, it is blue and green and beautiful and home.

It is of course the city with more people of Pacific Island descent than any other. It is home this Tamaki Makaurau to immigrants from Asia, from the Americas, from the southern tip of Africa to the north of Europe. It is the home of Maori tribes. And it is the city of Pacific Islanders vibrant and friendly, traditional and at the cutting edge of modern music and other art forms.

And now our first Pasifika Mayor - Fa'anānā Efeso Collins. A man who stood on issues that matter - public transport, housing, climate change. Things he didn’t shy away from but spoke about honestly and ambitiously.

In a city where there were dawn raids when I was a kid targeting Pacific Islanders while ignoring immigrants from places like Britain and elsewhere in Europe we have a Pasifika mayor and I am so proud of my city.

When I first moved to Auckland in 1989 I lived in the Grey Lynn/Ponsonby area, it was a cheap area back then and there was a large Polynesian population. For a kid who grew up in provincial NZ it was like another world. An international city full of people from different places even then.

In the mid 90s I went to Auckland Uni, a young Efeso Collins was also starting that same year and was on his way to becoming the first Auckland University Student Association President of Polynesian descent.

Today Tamaki Makaurau is a growing metropolis full of different cultures, of different ambitions and desires, foods and music, faces and dances - it isn't a popular view to express but I bloody love the place, and today I love it just that little bit more.

It is physically a beautiful place with the harbours and beaches, the volcanos and islands, the quiet primeval bush so close to the city. It is an island of progressive modern views that doesn't think we should be forever ruled by middle aged white men in suits. An oasis in a country that can be quite slow to progress at times. People of Wellington and Dunedin will feel the same about their islands, but this is mine.

That most unloved of events - local body elections. Something even those of us who are political junkies sometimes struggle to muster much enthusiasm for. They can be a bit of a lottery with such small turn outs, and you know who always votes, and it isn’t the people who typically support a Labour mayor.

It could have been Wayne Brown in the headlines tomorrow. The right backed him even though he was a terrible option, a poor track record - perhaps, unconvincing at talking about things he would do - definitely.

But he was their guy so the right backed him anyway even though he would have done nothing to address the big problems and would have struggled to build consensus in the council. For goodness sake the man’s political advisor was Matthew Hooton, that isn’t the choice of someone who wants to reach out across the aisle.

It could’ve been “heartless of the city” Barbie, but she had even less personality than Wayne and that was terminal. I think one of the saddest moments during the campaign was when she declared that like the other right candidates she opposed Three Waters and you knew that dog whistle had absolutely nothing to do with water management.

It could’ve been Leo Molloy but there weren’t enough self entitled pricks, even in the natural habitat of Viaduct Trump. Once he’d vented his spleen about how much he hated the PM, and lockdowns, and public transport, and pretty much anything useful or decent, his ego sufficiently massaged he saved it injury by withdrawing.

It could’ve been Craig Lord, he looked like he was in with a go. Unfortunately as is often the case the tinfoil nutters over estimated their numbers and are probably still wondering if the low numbers reported are all a conspiracy, no doubt he is already planning his next run.

I could’ve been writing a different post about Efeso losing saying people are angry and they will vote for a candidate that is clearly not as good just because he is in their corner.

<LOUD SOUND OF NEEDLE ACROSS VINYL - kids ask your parents>

Erm scratch that, turns out we elected the old white guy, just for a change. Reverting to type and electing someone that looks like all the old photos of mayors on the walls in civic buildings.

So what have we got - Wayne Brown, a man that makes it look as though Boris Johnson was in command of the facts under questioning. A man who makes Joe Biden look lively and alert. A man with Matthew Hooton pulling the strings in the background - oh goody!

Turns out the right did learn, they didn’t split their vote and they won with a, let’s be generous, less than ideal candidate. One who by any reasonable assessment on merit was unelectable. Remind you of anyone? Mr Luxon I presume?

A strong left candidate losing to a weak right wing candidate in Tamaki Makaurau, a city which strongly votes left in most electorates, will be ringing some very serious alarm bells in Wellington.

This shows how much of a challenge next year will be. Grass roots support vs the backing of people who are doing rather well thank you very much.

This one hurts I so wanted to see Efeso as our mayor, but if you think this is bad imagine the feeling if Luxon wins and Jacinda steps aside from politics for good!

We really ought to do something to avoid that I reckon.

That year that Efeso was Student President over at the University these guys were forming in the music room at Western Springs College…

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