Banks has kind words for Bright
Activist and former mayor clashed more than once
FSuper City ormer Auckland City Mayor John Banks has expressed his admiration for activist Penny Bright, who is gravely ill in Auckland City Hospital.
Banks told the Herald he was thinking only kindly of Bright at this time and was very sad to learn she is unwell.
Bright was rushed to hospital a week ago with a life-threatening diabetic condition on top of stage three ovarian cancer diagnosed at the height of a battle to save her house from being sold for refusing to pay rates for 11 years.
She was given between one and six days to live by doctors, but marked the sixth day on Wednesday by celebrating her 64th birthday, telling the Herald in a beside interview: “I am alive, yippee.”
Banks was one of successive Auckland mayors who crossed swords with Bright.
In one memorable incident, Bright was one of several protesters evicted and dragged by security guards on the instructions of Banks from a council meeting at the Auckland Town Hall in 2002. In the same year, Bright took part in the “Wake Up Auckland” movement that saw about 1200 people marching up Queen St against Banks’ leadership style and policies, including the sale of council pensioner housing.
Yesterday, Bright said to be fair to Banks he had the concept of fair play and acknowledged she was prepared to stand up and have a go.
“I don’t hate anybody. It is all about the behaviour and it is the actions of John Banks I don’t agree with,” she said.
Banks, a former National Government minister who served two terms as mayor, said he had no animosity towards Bright, but “admiration for her braveness in her stand for the matters she cared deeply about”.
“It will never be said she didn’t keep us on our toes and made us have second thoughts about the things she stood for and stood against. With all her many crusades she never left us in any doubt,” said Banks.
In a brief telephone conversation, Bright said she had no hard feelings towards Banks and appreciated his thoughts. She said she had got a bit more sleep during the night “but I’m feeling knackered now”. She is in a stable condition.
Bright was more generous in her comments towards the right-leaning Banks than left-leaning mayors Phil Goff, Len Brown and Dick Hubbard.
She said Goff was acting in a very arrogant and contemptuous way — “It’s Mayor Phil Goff, not Monarch Phil Goff”.
Goff said yesterday: “I wish her and her family well at this difficult time.” Brown and Hubbard could not be reached.