Opinion: Why Auckland’s local election is neither local nor democratic

In Auckland, there are 22 candidates running for mayor, most of whom get no voice in the media, writes Grant Duncan on Newshub. Elections alone don’t automatically make for democratic governance at street level, and this is particularly true of Auckland. Since the unification of regional, city and district councils in 2010, the so-called “super city” has been run by a single Auckland Council. Ironically, Aucklanders are better represented in parliament in Wellington than in the council chamber in downtown Auckland.