Dalziel to stand again

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel is seeking a third term in the city’s top job.

The former Labour MP ended months of speculation by confirming her plans in a social media post last night.

The local body elections are in October.

Last election she waited until just five months out before announcing her intentions.

‘‘I don’t personally think it’s necessary to make this call so early, however, others want to make their decision about what they want to do,’’ Dalziel wrote yesterday.

‘‘I’ve heard people say they won’t decide until I do. So I owe it them to make the call now.’’

She could not be reached when contacted by The Press.

Dalziel won a second term as mayor in 2016 after a convincing win against rival John Minto. She replaced Sir Bob Parker, who decided against standing again in

2013. Dalziel won the mayoralty that year with 72,600 votes, nearly

50,000 votes ahead of her closest rival, councillor Paul Lonsdale.

She said she originally wanted to do just one term as mayor, to ‘‘fix the city and leave’’, but was persuaded by the public to run a second time.

‘‘I want to think of [this] as my final term,’’ Dalziel told The Press in September 2016.

She said in April 2016 that she was ‘‘mentally exhausted’’ and wondered if she could manage a second term.

Councillor Glenn Livingstone said yesterday Dalziel was ‘‘extremely well-read, across the detail and brings a lot of lateral thought to the position’’.

‘‘It’s a really tough job to be in so it’s good – I think it provides the city with certainty. Good to make a call now and that means . . . we can keep focused on the job we’re doing.’’

Livingstone would ‘‘maybe one day’’ consider himself for the position, but not at the next election.

‘‘At the moment my focus is on the east and also my family. Those are the things that matter most to me.’’

Dalziel’s deputy Andrew Turner, caucus leader for the leftleaning Labour-aligned People’s Choice political grouping, is the only one out of 16 existing councillors to firmly say he wants the mayoral job, but will not run against Dalziel.

Christchurch-based list MP and former Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister Nicky Wagner was non-committal when asked in July but she said she never ruled out anything.

‘‘Right now I’m an MP and I’m enjoying being an MP in central Christchurch.’’

She said if she did stand, she would be unlikely to do so against Dalziel.

‘‘She’s a good friend of mine. We have worked together a lot over the years.’’

‘‘I’ve heard people say they won’t decide until I do. So I owe it them to make the call now.’’ Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel