Former Chamber boss Michael Barnett appointed to Manurewa board as vote-rigging scandal deepens
The former head of Auckland’s Chamber of Commerce has been appointed as an observer on the Manurewa Local Board amid a high-profile investigation into allegations of vote rigging and stolen ballots.
Auckland Council CEO Phil Wilson announced the unprecedented move last week and conceded some sitting members may have secured their seats by cheating.
“There is that possibility.”
Today, Wilson announced former chamber boss Michael Barnett was being parachuted in to monitor the board and report back to the council.
He will be joined by Tania Winslade, a chartered director, independent governance adviser and disputes resolution lawyer.
Wilson said the pair would advise on the board’s operations and governance, providing feedback and recommendations.
“We are appointing two observers – both with strong experience and complementary skills – to help the board navigate its way through the challenges they are currently facing.
“Our priority is enabling and supporting this board to continue to deliver its duties for the Manurewa community. The objective of appointing observers is to help ensure the board is operating effectively and able to execute its statutory governance, decision-making, leadership and representation purposes,” Wilson said.
Last week, Wilson said he was deeply troubled by allegations that teams of people had stolen ballot papers from letter boxes, opened them, ticked them with certain candidates’ names, then resealed them and returned the papers to the electoral officer.
The allegations and photos purporting to show bundles of the stolen voting papers had been forwarded to police and the Serious Fraud Office.
Wilson said appointing independent observers was necessary due to the electoral fraud allegations but also reports of dysfunction and growing relationship tensions between board members.
He welcomed the police investigation and urged investigators to determine if the election was rigged and whether criminal offending had occurred.
He also warned more “drastic action” may be required in the form of Crown intervention if the board was unable to carry out its democratic responsibilities.
He said the observers would take up their role on Monday. They would have a “direct line” to the chief executive and board chairwoman, providing them with updates and reporting.
Wilson stressed the observers were not there to investigate complaints or misconduct.
Manurewa Local Board chairwoman Heather Andrew offered her full support following the appointments, saying the board “continues to serve its communities and progress its work programme and other business as usual”.
“I welcome the appointment of observers to help guide us and will work constructively throughout the process.”
‘Please, please, please investigate’
Speaking last week, Wilson told the Herald the appointment of observers was unprecedented for the Auckland Council. He was not aware of any such measures being taken across the super city before.
“There are questions that arose about public confidence and even whether the board can function in terms of making decisions.”
Wilson said the allegations risked undermining public confidence in the democratic process and integrity of the voting system.
He urged police to “please, please, please investigate this and get to the bottom of it”.
Asked if it was possible some sitting candidates on the Manurewa board had won their seats by cheating, Wilson said this was a possibility.
“From my perspective that is the very reason for us to take any evidence we are aware of to police.”
He said allegations of impropriety around the election results were unfairly tarring all eight elected members and two local ward councillors, Daniel Newman and Matt Winiata, “with the same brush”.
It was therefore critical that the claims were thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities so the matter could be resolved, he said.
The electoral fraud allegations raised questions about the postal voting system, Wilson said. He said the council’s governing body supported a change for future elections because of the perceived level of risk.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts saidany issues with the integrity of local government elections were deeply concerning.
“The council has notified me that it has referred the matter to police and the Serious Fraud Office. As inquiries are now being undertaken by the relevant authorities, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.”
Lane Nichols is Auckland Desk Editor and a senior journalist for the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.