Wayne Brown vows stronger council voice, pushes bed levy after election victory
Wayne Brown is promising a fresh tilt at getting a bed tax introduced to bolster the local economy after a victorious campaign he described as “like being in a dentist chair for a month”.
Galvanised by the comfortable majority he secured in this year’s election, the incumbent mayor has been outlining his priorities for his second term - from completing Auckland Transport reforms to introducing a bed night levy and defending local government interests that differ to the Beehive’s.
“I’m 104,000 [votes] ahead ... which is a pretty good result,” Brown told Herald NOW‘s Ryan Bridge.
“Considering it’s a third of the country, really low turnout, I’ve already got more numbers than New Zealand First got at the last election.”
Brown wants to ensure council and government are on equal footing in future decision-making, arguing that ratepayers still have to front around half the cost of local and central government partnerships.
If presented with a rates cap as proposed, the mayor said he’d respond with a tax cap, noting that rates increases would be “nought” without the $220 million needed to run the City Rail Link (CRL).
“It’s nonsensical rubbish ... Next year our rates will be at about 7% up, and that’s entirely to run the [CRL]. A decision made jointly by council and government many years before I showed up.”
Brown said he’s “fired up” deputy mayor Desley Simpson to convince the Government to back their bed levy proposal to support Auckland’s flailing economy, adding that consultation with ratepayers suggested this had majority support from National and Act voters.
“She’s going to bite their ankles over that.”
He also reiterated his preference for the second Waitematā Harbour crossing to be positioned along the Meola Reef, saying NZTA is “wasting money” by pushing ahead with seabed drilling that he claims he was never briefed on.
“They’re going to have to talk to us ... They say to me, ‘Oh, no, we’re paying for it.’ And I’m going, ‘Hang on. A third of New Zealand pays tax and they come from here.’”
However, he doesn’t want the council to be asking for tax revenue.
“I just want the ability to make our own decisions.”
Brown secured his second mayoralty term on October 11 under his “Fix Auckland” ticket.
Provisional results have Brown at 177,954 votes, outperforming his main challenger, Kerrin Leoni, who secured 75,441 votes.
He defended the low voter turnout - the worst in 36 years - noting that renters aren’t incentivised to vote as they don’t pay any rates.
Brown argued mayors had enough resources as it is to do their work, saying he’s “got plenty of power at the moment”.
“My power is the huge number of people who voted for me. That’s the public.”
Auckland Council’s official election results will be confirmed this Friday.
Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.
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