Critic thinks this is all a bit shit, so we undertook some polling to identify the most student-friendly candidates in the upcoming elections.
First, we asked students to identify the most important local issues. Six main areas emerged – flatting standards, job creation, the environment, transport, events, and liquor laws.
Next, we asked all Mayoral and Central Ward candidates a variety of questions about each of these areas, and graded how well their policies lined up with what students want.
Finally, we put the data into what we hope is the most easily-digestible format possible. Getting over the information barrier is probably the single biggest obstacle to voting in local body elections. At a glance, you should get a good overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate.
Finally, a note on methodology. What counts as a “student-friendly” score in each area is based on our initial polling of Otago students. It captures what the majority of our respondents thought about the issues, but obviously will not reflect the views of all students.
- A candidate who scores highly on “environment” will take climate change seriously, and oppose actions like drilling, fracking, and burning lignite.
- A candidate who scores highly on “transport” favours the expansion of public transport options and cycle lanes.
- A candidate who scores highly on “flatting” favours using the DCC’s regulatory powers to improve the standards of Dunedin’s flats, and recognises that the free market favours landlords over students.
- A candidate who scores highly on “liquor” opposes a liquor ban in North Dunedin and will typically favour relaxed liquor laws.
- A candidate who scores highly on “events” thinks the DCC should take a more active role in supporting local artists and attracting large international music acts to the city, and will tend to think that student events get a bad rap in the press.
- Finally, in the area of job creation we deferred to the expertise of the University of Otago Economics Department, and asked the department to grade each candidate’s plan for job creation out of 10.
Mayoral Candidates
Hilary Calvert
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
You’ve probably already made your mind up either way about Calvert. The former Act MP made quite a stir in 2011 with her visible indifference to the student vote in that year’s general election. She’s been a lot cannier this time around; as well as granting Critic an interview, her expensive campaign has included numerous billboards in and around campus. She’ll leave liquor alone, but has predictably low ratings on the environment, transport and flatting.
Dave Cull
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Greater Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: Councillor 2007-2010, Mayor 2010-present.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
Cull’s not the picture of a student-friendly mayor, but he’s shown a refreshing willingness to engage with students. He’s worked well with OUSA over the last year, particularly on raising flatting standards, and has been a strong supporter of cycleways and public transport. His job creation plan was mercifully free of bullshit and fluff, and was rated highest of any candidate. Cull should be one of your picks regardless of your political stance.
Kevin Dwyer
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
Our expert rated Dwyer’s sketchy job-creation plan the lowest of all mayoral candidates. For a horticulturalist, Dwyer’s environmental credentials are also somewhat lacking. While he achieves decent scores on flatting, transport and events, Dwyer is far from being a true “student-friendly” candidate.
Aaron Hawkins
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Green Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: None.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
This is Radio One breakfast host Hawkins’ second mayoral bid, after an unsuccessful run in 2010. This time he’s running on the Green ticket, which, if the mayoralty seems like a long shot, at least gives him a good chance of securing a Council seat. As you’d expect from a Green candidate and campus figure, he’s student-friendly with a strong environmental focus. He’s a toss-up with Cull for our mayoral endorsement, but should definitely be one of your Central Ward picks either way.
Olivier Lequeux
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
The publican and sometime-owner of hipster bar Mou Very is, somewhat surprisingly, one of the least student-friendly mayoral candidates. While he claims that protecting the environment is “very important” to him, he is also pro-fracking and a climate change sceptic. His laissez-faire attitude to flatting gave him one of the lowest scores on this scale of any candidate, and his job-creation plan was short on detail and rated poorly by our expert.
Andrew Whiley
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Also standing for Central Ward: Yes.
Though his views stand in marked contrast to the average student, Whiley at least has a fairly coherent platform. His plan for job-creation was peppered with right-wing buzzwords, but was forward-thinking and contained some promising remarks around green technology. He won’t crack down on student drinking, and he appreciates the economic benefits of attracting big concerts to Dunedin. Lefties should probably stay away, but Whiley’s a good pick for right-leaning students.
Did not respond: Pete George, Lee Vandervis.
Did not have contact details for Steve McGregor.
Central Ward Candidates
David Benson-Pope
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: Councillor 1986-99.
The former Labour MP and Cabinet minister has a strong environmental focus and was a key player in defeating the North Dunedin liquor ban earlier this year. He holds student-friendly positions across most issues.
John Bezett
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council Experience: Councillor since at least 2007.
Bezett is a current councillor, and one of the strongest supporters of the stadium. His answers were often non-committal and reflected a lack of knowledge of student affairs.
Phillip Cole
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council Experience: None.
Cole is the Chairman of the Dunedin Cable Car Group, and has a strong focus on improving public transport options. He’s not a huge fan of spending any money, though, and wants to cut all non-core projects to reduce Council debt.
Ali Copeman
Affiliation: Greater Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: None.
Copeman is a director of the Otago Chamber of Commerce and is heavy on the business-related rhetoric. She seems to be among the more right-leaning of the Greater Dunedin team, and is notably lukewarm on public transport.
Julian Crawford
Affiliation: Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party.
Previous Council experience: None.
The ALCP candidate comes equipped with a variety of predictably hilarious policies, including reopening Invermay as a dedicated marijuana and hemp research facility. His job creation plan didn’t cut the mustard with our expert.
John Evans
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
He refers to himself as “Good” Evans and his candidate bio on the DCC website consists largely of a list of things one can find in Dunedin. When we asked about climate change, he referenced the Nazis. It’s all a little bit bizarre.
Christine Garey
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Garey has no previous Council experience, but has served on the Otago Peninsula Community Board. Although prone to quite generic statements, she strikes Critic as a kindly presence who would engage strongly with the student body.
Doug Hall
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Hall is a local businessman who this year has locked horns with the DCC over the realignment of a state highway. His zero score for job creation comes from his failure to answer that part of the survey.
Francisco Hernandez
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Big surprise – Hernandez was the most student-friendly of any candidate who responded. He scores highly across every category, and his six-point job creation plan was rated strongly by our expert. He’s not a polished performer, but has a good track record of representing students and is worth your vote.
Paul Hudson
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: Councillor 1998-present.
A long-standing City Councillor who supported the stadium and has a pretty average track record when it comes to engaging with students. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he failed to be re-elected.
Jinty Mactavish
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Greater Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: Councillor 2010-present.
In her first term as Councillor, MacTavish has been a sensation – even Hilary Calvert, her ideological opposite, described her as “the most hard-working" Councillor. If she isn’t re-elected, it would be an outrage.
Letisha Nicholas
Student Friendly
Affiliation: Greater Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: None.
Nicholas is one of two student candidates, and is currently studying a PGDip in Geography. She scores strongly across the board, particularly on environmental issues (as you’d expect from the co-President of Students for Environmental Action).
Richard Thomson
Affiliation: Greater Dunedin.
Previous Council experience: Councillor 2010-present.
Thomson favours stricter controls on the sale of alcohol, but opposes the liquor ban. While he holds fairly student-friendly positions, he’s also pretty much guaranteed to get re-elected, so you might consider casting a tactical vote elsewhere.
Warren Voight
Affiliation: Independent.
Previous Council experience: None.
Voight’s candidate profile on the DCC website is full of apocalyptic messages about Dunedin becoming a “backwater.” He takes a conservative approach to liquor, and supports a North Dunedin-wide liquor ban.
Did not respond: Malcolm Dixon, Rachel Elder, Lindsay Harrison, Nigel Harwood, Tat Loo, Kim Mitchell, Irene Mosley, Kevin Neill, Neville Peat, Tom Ross, Chris Staynes, Conrad Stedman, Teresa Stevenson.