Turnout in other Auckland areas dropped, but voting numbers in Papatoetoe increased by more than 7%, with all four seats going to first-time candidates from a new political ticket, the Papatoetoe \u014ctara Action Team.<\/p>\n
Local Government Minister Simon Watts. Photo \/ Mark Mitchell<\/p>\n
In a statement to the Herald, Watts said local councils were responsible for running their own elections.<\/p>\n
The Papatoetoe case had been referred to police by Auckland Council and its electoral officer, Watts said. <\/p>\n
A Petition for Inquiry was also brought by a candidate who \u201cnoticed something unusual\u201d. <\/p>\n
Watts said this was in line with the appropriate process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it is disappointing this has occurred, it demonstrates that the appropriate guardrails are in place and functioning as they should. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a matter that I am watching very closely, and I will continue to assess the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hausia lodged his petition against the chief electoral officer, Dale Ofsoske.<\/p>\n
Vi Hausia, former deputy chair of the \u014ctara-Papatoetoe Local Board, who increased his vote but still lost his seat.<\/p>\n
The case was heard last week in Manukau District Court before Judge McIlraith, who released his decision yesterday.<\/p>\n
The judge said he held grave concerns that the voting irregularities which had been discovered represented the \u201ctip of the iceberg\u201d of issues that affected the outcome of the election, RNZ reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am seriously concerned that the extent of votes being cast in this election by people other than for whom the voting papers were intended is much greater than the level known by Mr Ofsoske and that it is more likely than not that they were cast for POAT (Papatoetoe \u014ctara Action Team) candidates,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fraudulent voting has, in my view, \u2018permeated or infected\u2019 the election to such an extent that it is more likely than not that the margin by which Mr Hausia (and possibly others) was unsuccessful may well have been extinguished.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hausia told the Herald the court had ruled in favour of democracy and electoral integrity.<\/p>\n
He believed the case highlighted the shortcomings of the postal ballot system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system is known to be easy to interfere with, and it\u2019s hard to ensure accountability,\u201d he told RNZ. \u201cSo today was an unfortunate event where the risks have unfortunately come to fruition.\u201d<\/p>\n
The decision means the election needs to be re-run. Nominations for candidates will be opened on December 31 until midday on January 28 next year. The election will need to be completed by April 9, 2026.<\/p>\n
Council chief executive Phil Wilson said the case was an isolated incident. Photo \/ Corey Fleming<\/p>\n
In a statement yesterday, Auckland Council said three \u014ctara elected members will remain on the Local Board, but the board will not have the required quorum of four members to make decisions until the election is completed. <\/p>\n
Until the newly elected members come into office, decisions will likely need to be made by staff, under delegation within the terms of the existing general delegation to staff. Any decisions taken by the board to date remain valid.<\/p>\n
First-time candidates on new political ticket storm home<\/p>\n
Labour\u2019s Hausia and two others standing for re-election all missed out at the election. <\/p>\n
Hausia was the highest polling unsuccessful candidate and his vote even rose a little from 2022, but he didn\u2019t come close to winning. The Action Team candidates – Kunal Bhalla, Kushma Nair, Sandeep Saini and Paramjeet Singh – all received 1200 to 2000 more votes than him.<\/p>\n
The matter was referred to police by the council and is now under investigation.<\/p>\n
The Herald has approached the Papatoetoe-\u014ctara Action Team for comment but is yet to receive a response.<\/p>\n
A spokesman previously said the Action Team candidates had done nothing wrong and the election results simply reflected a well-run campaign. <\/p>\n
Members of the Papatoetoe-\u014ctara Action Team, from left: Sandeep Saini, Bhalla Kunal, Paramjeet Singh and Kushma Nair.<\/p>\n
The court heard evidence, tabled by Ofsoske, that 79 votes were \u201cirregularly\u201d cast.<\/p>\n
Hausia\u2019s lawyer, Simon Mitchell KC, said some of those 79 were in the name of people who have declared they didn\u2019t vote, suggesting someone else used their papers.<\/p>\n
And 53 of them were from people who declared they did not receive voting papers, so notified the election office and were able to cast a special vote. When the special votes were counted, it was discovered that ordinary votes had already been lodged in their name. <\/p>\n
Of those 53, 50 had gone to candidates from the Action Team.<\/p>\n
Hausia acknowledged the residents who came forward, his family, his Labour Electorate Committee and members, the Papatoetoe candidates who supported this process, and his legal team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took courage to speak up, and that courage made this outcome possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the battle has been won, the war to strengthen our democracy is not over. The postal ballot voting system must end,\u201d said Hauisa, who plans to stand in the new election.<\/p>\n
Voting papers will now be sent to enrolled electors in the Papatoetoe subdivision of the \u014ctara-Papatoetoe Local Board from March 9, with voting open for one month.<\/p>\n
Auckland Council chief executive Phil Wilson described the case as an isolated incident in one part of one local board area, Papatoetoe, and assured Aucklanders that elections have delivered robust results for many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t tell you that a postal ballot is bulletproof. But it is the system we need to use, and we will look carefully and quickly at any measures we can take to avoid this ever happening again. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am pleased that there is absolutely no suggestion of a problem with the running of the election by the council and its provider, Election Services Ltd,\u201d he said<\/p>\n