City Vision (Auckland, New Zealand political ticket)

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City Vision is a coalition of three left-wing political parties (New Zealand Labour Party, Alliance, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand) and independent political identities who contest Auckland City and Auckland Regional Council elections every triennium. They have usually caucused in affiliation with Labour Party councillors.

[edit] History

They were formed in the 1990s for the purposes of contesting and challenging the Citizens and Ratepayers Association who had dominated control of the Auckland City Council since the C&R's formation in the 1930s. City Vision have traditionally held representation in the centre-west and south of Auckland City.

They were successful in gaining partial control with the appointment of their first leader Bruce Hucker as Deputy Mayor of Auckland City in the 1998-2001 Christine Fletcher Mayoral administration, but received an electoral setback in 2001 with the election of a John Banks/C&R led council.

City Vision and Labour were successful in forming a working majority in the 2004 elections (winning nine seats) plus the election of Dick Hubbard to the Mayoralty, partnering with Action Hobson anti-motorway councillors to form a bloc of twelve out of twenty. This council term was marked by public discontent over rates rises and water price rises, as well as public anger over accusations of wasteful spending like overseas travel. This term was also marked by infighting inside City Vision, with leader Bruce Hucker being deposed and replaced by Labour Councillor Richard Northey.

City Vision lost the 2007 elections to a rejuvenated John Banks/Citizens and Ratepayers team, and were reduced to three councillors, in addition to two Labour councillors also re-elected.