Losing the Unlosable Election - How the Right Lost Auckland Again-Subscribers

Simon and I wanted to write this book to outline just how fragmented and, frankly, useless the centre-right has become in Auckland local body politics.

If you look at the demographics of Auckland and the results of the past few elections there really is no reason for centre-left candidates or tickets to dominate local body politics in Auckland. North of the bridge is a lock for blue seats without a single Labour MP from the bridge to Cape Reinga (excluding Maori seats).

There are only enclaves of Labour representation in the West and in South Auckland. But ,even then, the Labour influence peters out at the borders of Judith Collins’ Papakura and Andrew Bayley’s Hunua electorates. The left-wing controls just eight of the 22 seats in the Auckland Region. National controls 13 electorates and the ACT party controls the Epsom electorate. In percentage terms the centre-left controls just 36% of Auckland seats and the centre-right controls 64%.

With these sorts of numbers it beggars belief that the centre-right constantly hands control of the largest city to those on the centre-left.