Papatoetoe election rerun highlights low voter turnout

Pacific candidates say the court-ordered Papatoetoe election rerun is a chance to reshape local political representation.

The rerun comes after a Manukau District Court judge voided last year’s election due to voting irregularities that materially affected the result.

It has renewed attention on voter turnout in a community where participation has historically been low.

Papatoetoe is one of Auckland’s most diverse suburbs.

Almost half of the residents in the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board area identifies as Pacific peoples and 15.8 per cent as Māori, according to the 2023 Census.

Voter turnout in the 2022 local election was just 22 per cent in Ōtara and 24 per cent in Papatoetoe, compared with Auckland’s overall turnout of 35.5 per cent.

Four of the five Pasifika candidates contesting the Papatoetoe Local Board rerun appeared on Pacific Mornings for a talanoa on voter turnout and representation. Photo/File.

Appearing on Pacific Mornings on 531pi, local board candidates Taitosaua Bill Peace, Vi Hausia, John Loau and Karl Mokaraka urged residents to participate in the postal vote.

The candidates said the turnout would influence decisions on parks, libraries, housing intensification and community funding.

Interview invitations were extended to all Pacific candidates standing, as well as Swanie Nelson, the only wahine Māori candidate.

Representation and participation

Mokaraka framed the rerun as a response to long-standing political marginalisation.

“For our Pacific families and our Māori families, your vote is your voice, and for far too long we’ve been muted, we’ve been silenced,” he said.

Five Pasifika candidates are running, hoping to secure one of the four seats available. Photo/Auckland Council.

“We’re getting pushed out of South Auckland … this is the time now where you need to stand and be counted.”

Loau linked turnout to local outcomes.

“If we want our local leaders to action things that we want in our community, the way to do that is to exercise the power to vote,” he said.

Taitosaua says engagement must also include young people who would shape the community’s future.

Hausia described the rerun as an important opportunity for Māori and Pasifika communities to participate in shaping Papatoetoe’s direction.

Four Pasifika candidates during a Pacific Mornings talanoa at Pacific Media Network. From left: Taitosaua Bill Peace, Vi Hausia, John Loau and Karl Mokaraka. Photo/PMN News/Taelegalolo'u Mary Afemata

Trust and accountability

Candidates were asked why voters should trust them amid declining confidence in political institutions.

Hausia pointed to his decision to challenge the previous result in court.

“I was the one who took the petition to court for the District Court to look into the Papatoetoe elections because of what was happening,” he said. “That wasn’t easy.”

Mokaraka addressed perceptions about his outspoken style.

“The media can portray you as one thing. I don’t call it heckling. I think it’s airing concerns of the family that are forgotten,” he said.

Postal voting packs are being sent to eligible voters in the Papatoetoe election. Photo/File.

He said his background in finance would inform his governance approach.

“I’ve had 23 years in finance teams,” he said, adding he wanted “some transparency around our council funding.”

Taitosaua pointed to his community service.

“I’ve been serving this community as a South Aucklander, and Papatoetoe included, over 30 years in the work that I do with youth and families,” he said.

Loau emphasised accessibility.

Voters who do not receive their postal voting papers can cast a special vote at Manukau Library or Papatoetoe Library. Photo/File.

“One of the main things that our community should know about me is that I am accessible,” he said.

Key local issues

Community safety, cost-of-living pressures and housing intensification emerged as recurring themes.

Hausia described safety as “a persistent issue for my time on the board,” saying, “our community is not feeling safe where they live, and it really bothers me.”

He also highlighted uneven housing growth.

“When you look at Auckland, housing intensification is not uniform. There's particular suburbs that’s carrying the load more than others, and Papatoetoe is one of those suburbs.”

Papatoetoe, South Auckland. Photo/File.

Loau says financial pressures are also a frustration.

“When we’re looking at the financial pressures that our families are busy on … it’s really hard for our communities,” he said.

Taitosaua questioned the standard of local amenities.

“When you walk in the hands and feet … a lot of our public spaces … why is it that they’re always of low standard?” he said.

Mokaraka also raised concerns around council spending and oversight.

Watch the full interview on Pacific Mornings below:

He said he wanted greater transparency “around every cent and every dollar of council funding”, arguing that stronger financial scrutiny was needed at the local board level.

The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board sets priorities for local parks, libraries, community facilities and community grants within budgets allocated by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, meaning turnout in the rerun will influence how those priorities are shaped.

Voting opens on March 9 and closes on April 9. Residents who do not receive voting papers can cast a special vote at Papatoetoe or Manukau Library.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.