By Kim Choe
Voting papers for local body elections start arriving in mailboxes around the country from today.
For Aucklanders it marks the first time they can vote in the new super city and according to a political commentator, votes for the councillor seats are more important than ever.
For months, John Banks and Len Brown have been the face of Auckland's super city race – but how much do voters know about the council the winning mayoral candidate will lead?
“Most people are completely unsure how it's going to work, and who's going to be in charge,” says political commentator David Wilson.
Mr Wilson says the 20 Auckland councillors, whose constituency will be larger than any other in the country, will play a more vital role than ever before and must therefore be able to prove they can think strategically about the region as a whole, and not get caught up in smaller, local issues – which should be left to the local boards.
“If we have a strong, dynamic council with a strong leadership in the Mayor, then a whole lot of things can be done in negotiation with Wellington for the benefit of Auckland,” he says.
“Previously people i think have believed that that hasn't been the case.”
Auckland councils are well known for being paralysed by party politics; with disagreements between the left-leaning city vision and right-wing citizens and ratepayers factions often getting in the way of real progress.
But Mr Wilson says voters shouldn't necessarily be swayed by the charm of a so-called "independent" candidate, unless they are clear on what they stand for.
“In a lot of cases, you're actually unsure how they'll behave once they become a member of the Auckland council. So that is a random variable in this,” he says.
Voters now have three weeks to get clued up on who's standing for election in their area.
Postal ballots must be returned by October 9.
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