POLITICS
6 | Friday, August 15, 2025 | www.times.co.nz
Public Opinion
You Wei Chen, of Flat Bush “House prices are far too high. So are rates. There’s usually a traffic jam around here [Ormiston Road] and on the highways in Auckland. There are not enough parking spaces.”
Jin Wu, of Flat Bush “Traffic is a problem. There is not enough parking. The streets with the houses are too narrow. Delays caused by traffic jams costs time for all of the public.”
If you hadn’t noticed, candidate campaign election signs went up on public spaces and fences last weekend. At Ormiston Town Centre, PJ TAYLOR asked constituents in the area which will have three new Flat Bush elected members on the next Howick Local Board: Are they going to vote and what are their issues?
Bau Chang, of Flat Bush “I’m looking forward to having a library here. That’s really important to me. I don’t like to drive. I prefer to ride my bike. But I get scared because the cars come very close.”
Ashwin Maharaj, of Flat Bush “There is not enough street parking. People are parking their cars on the pathways. The roads need to be wider. We have requested speed humps because of the speed of the cars.”
Malti Maharaj, of Flat Bush “When it rains, there are blockages in the street drains. We live down a steep driveway and have been flooded once. The stream at the back of our house is stinking and needs clearing.”
Huilin Wu, of Flat Bush “I have been living here for more than 10 years. There is no swimming pool. I have to go to Lloyd Elsmore Park or Otara to the public pools there. My dad would like a tennis court.”
EAST AUCKLAND CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED FOR ELECTIONS • Auckland Council Howick ward (two councillor seats) Bo Burns; Ali Dahche – ACT Local; Stephen Hill; Barry Jensen; Damian Light – Independent; Leanne Seniloli; Maurice Williamson – Independent; Paul Young – Independent • Howick Local Board – Botany subdivision (two seats) Ali Dahche – ACT Local;
Damian Light – Independent; Mike Turinsky – Practical not Political; Melesina Umeano • Howick Local Board – Howick subdivision (three seats) Bo Burns – #weknowhowick; Luke Aidan Collings – Communities and Residents (C&R); Billy Davis – Communities and Residents (C&R); William Goldberg – ACT Local; Matthew Paul Sheehy; John Spiller –
#weknowhowick; Adele White – #weknowhowick • Howick Local Board – Pakuranga subdivision (three seats) Pat Arroyo – ACT Local; Katrina Bungard; Jack Collins – Communities and Residents (C&R); Wayne Huang; Sarah Kavanagh – Communities and Residents (C&R); Bruce Kendall – Communities and Residents (C&R); Blake O’Reilly; Frank Wong – Independent
OTE
BO BURNS AND
MAURICE WILLIAMSON
• Howick Local Board – Flat Bush subdivision (three seats) Prashant Belwalkar – Communities and Residents (C&R); David Alfred Collings – Communities and Residents (C&R); Krish Naidu – Flat Bush First; Joseph Rebello; Jami-Lee Ross – Independent; Gurbani Singh; Sonia Singh; Tracy Wignall – Independent; Peter Young – Healthy and Happy; Kai Zeng – Healthy and Happy