Is Phil Goff about to bow out?
Auckland mayor tipped to withdraw from politics and support a rising star for mayoralty,
Talk is mounting on the left that Auckland Mayor Phil Goff will not seek a third term at October’s local body elections and will endorse a rising star on council, North Shore councillor Richard Hills, as his successor.
The Weekend Herald understands the mayoral contest will be without a political heavyweight for the first time since the Super City was formed in 2010 and could well become a threehorse race.
If Goff does not seek a third term, the three candidates likely to battle it out for the mayoral chains are restaurateur Leo Molloy, Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck and Hills.
Manukau councillor Efeso Collins is also “extremely keen” to run for the mayoralty but the Labour member is out of favour with the party, despite his strong links into the Pasifika and South Auckland communities and his charisma and oratory skills.
It is hard to see him standing without the party machinery that would come with Labour backing.
Goff, who turns 69 this year, plans to announce his plans in the “coming weeks”.
One source said there could be more options open to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade than reports he could be going to Washington as New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States.
Other possibilities are a posting to Canberra — where another former Labour minister, Dame Annette King, has served three years as High Commissioner to Australia — and the United Nations, the source said.
There has been speculation that another former Labour leader, David Shearer, could stand for the mayoralty, but party sources say he has ruled it out.
Shearer could not be reached for comment, but in an interview with the Listener last month he said he has had a “close look at being mayor” and a chat with his old mate Goff but came across as lukewarm on the idea.
Former National Party deputy leader and proud Westie, Paula Bennett, who helped National’s MP for Whangaparāoa, Mark Mitchell, when he briefly looked at standing for the mayoralty last year, has also been touted as a candidate.
Bennett, who would have been a strong contender and brought some pizzazz to the city, said she had been approached over the summer by a number of people and had a good think about it but decided against running.
Beck is expected to announce her run for the mayoralty next week with the backing of National’s de facto local body arm, Communities and Residents (C&R).
C&R, formerly Citizens and Ratepayers, largely controlled the former Auckland City Council for decades before the Super City, but consistently failed to get a candidate elected to the Super City mayoralty.
A C&R source said the “stars are aligning” for 2019, and there was more momentum and financial backing than for previous elections.
Like Goff, Hills said he would announce his plans in the “coming weeks”, adding he had had many approaches and discussions about standing for mayor in the event Goff did not stand again.
“What I’ve heard from people across the city is that the next mayor has an important job to deliver for all communities across this beautiful city and needs the vision for an even better Auckland as we recover from Covid-19.
“At this stage, my focus is on serving the people of North Shore, leading the work on my committee responsibilities (he chairs the big environment and climate change committee) and helping drive the city’s recovery from Covid-19,” said Hills.
Molloy is already out of the blocks with electronic billboards around the city.
“It’s a perfect storm. Auckland has never had such contempt or dislike for council,” said Molloy, who is confident that when people get to know him, not as he is seen in the media, they will elect him as mayor.
With eight months until election day on October 8, two other candidates have come forward — Craig Lord, who came a distant third in 2019 with 30,000 votes, and Jake Law, whose grandfather John Law was mayor of Rodney District Council.