While the current city council under Lianne Dalziel has been risk averse to investigating the sale of strategic assets, it will be one of its priorities if Mauger and his alliance take control after the October 8 poll.
Asset sales are a polarizing issue among existing councilors, and soon voters will weigh those philosophical differences before backing their candidate.
In the wake of the city council’s majority decision to go ahead with construction on the Te Kaha/Canterbury Multi-Use Arena, claims of ‘scare-mongering’ have already been made, despite a $150 million budget burst.
The asset sale was launched as a means of covering that shortfall, with stadium advocate Mauger nominating a parcel of vacant council land in Diamond Harbor as a potential $5 million to $10 million resource.
Addington’s Orangetheory Stadium and the former Red Bus depot on Ferry Rd were also suggested as other assets that may need to be sold.
The City Council also owns or partially owns Christchurch International Airport Ltd, Lyttelton Port Company, power supplier Orion New Zealand and fiber broadband network Enable.
“It was suggested in the stadium. The asset sale will be the first on the chopping block,” said Jake McLellan, Central Ward councilor seeking re-election under the Labor banner.
“You can expect cutbacks at libraries and swimming pools. I think it can be very scary for the city.
“Jamie (Fendalton Ward Independent Citizens councilor James Gough) has suggested selling libraries in the past. There are some radical ideas out there.”
McLellan said it was clear that Mauger, acting as an independent state, was building a team to regain the balance of power from the left-wing The People’s Choice and Labor faction.
“They call themselves either Independent Citizens or Independent and they just choose which title suits the neighbourhood. Depending on how marginal the seat is, they update the branding accordingly,” he said.
“There’s no question that these candidates work together, they share the same media manager (PR specialist and Innes Ward candidate Ali Jones), the same billboard sites, they promote each other on social media.
“It’s an open secret and there’s nothing wrong with people with shared values working together, but what matters is being open and transparent about it,” said McLellan, who outlines his view on asset sales.
“When it comes to strategic assets like the airport, the port, all those . . . I could never have foreseen that I would support them because they make a profit.
“It’s up to each of those (potential) councilors to say what their stance is on the sale of assets.”
Jones, councilor from 2013-2016, also assists independent candidates Victoria Henstock (Papanui), Kim Money (Coastal), Alexandra Davids (Central), Libby Hornsby (Banks Peninsula) and Renee Walker, who wants to keep the Riccarton. Ward under control of the right-wing independent citizen by replacing Catherine Chu.
She threw himself at Mauger’s suggestions, and those who were aligned with him planned to sell assets.
“It’s disgusting and scaremongering. Groupings aside, this is one of the biggest problems I had when I was there, in 2013-16.
“The People’s Choice group, the Labor group around that table would under no circumstances discuss, consider, look at the value of assets and if any value could be drawn out of them anyway to help the city’s situation Jones said.
“It was one of the most frustrating and uninformed things I’ve ever seen in local politics.
“It’s not about selling assets. Look at what you own and what it’s worth and see if there’s anything you can take advantage of. It’s not about selling the city’s crown jewels. It’s about making informed decisions.
“This is exactly the ridiculous, uninformed ideological puppet masters in Wellington who dictate to the Labor councilors of local government.
“You have to look at the value of what you own and what can be done for the best of the city and that doesn’t include (SUBs let this in) sell your strategic assets directly.”
Incumbent Waimairi Ward councilor Sam MacDonald (Independent Citizens), an adviser to Mauger – who did not respond before The Star’s deadline – added: “As a city, we have not had a good conversation about how our holding company (Christchurch City Holdings) has been used correctly. .
“Right now I don’t think we’re getting the return we should be. That doesn’t mean you’re going to sell everything.
“I don’t want to sell the family silver, but we have to make sure that every dollar the taxpayer has invested gives them something back,” he said.
Mauger’s biggest rival for mayor, fellow independent David Meates, was not in favor of selling strategic assets to cover the stadium deficit, for example. But it was vital to capitalize on their value.
“I’m looking at a port (Lyttelton) and an airport. Orion, Enable and you think, ‘Why on earth would you sell them?’ The flip side of that is how do we make sure they deliver and we use them with the city’s best interests at heart?” he said.
While Mauger confirmed MacDonald, Gough and future councilors Kelly Barber (Burwood) and Jones in his corner, Meates declined suggestions that he would join The People’s Choice.
“I really stand as an independent. When I look back on my time on the (Canterbury) District Health Board, I dealt with National and Labor and all aspects of the political divide,” he said.
“I don’t care what political beliefs people come from. What I’m more interested in is electing people who are going to make decisions in the best interest of Christchurch.”
“Phil has been really into getting like-minded people elected, not me. The role of the mayor is really to see how we can bring those diverse groups together to be a really functioning council.”
Heathcote Ward councilor Sara Templeton, who as an independent state, was also concerned about the potential to sell assets to fund projects such as the stadium.
“It has been very clear from Phil and other councilors (with Mauger) that they would be happy to sell some assets, be it land or other projects.
“I don’t think it makes sense to sell assets that other community charities have to pay for things that aren’t used daily or frequently by the wider community.
“We have a range of other things coming our way. . . improving adaptation to climate change, those things should be a priority for funding.”
She appreciated Mauger’s desire to ideally create a working majority, but felt the tactic was counterproductive.
“I think it’s useless for the city if we end up with an ‘A’ team and a ‘B’ team approach. We have seen in the past that that does not work so well around the council table. A mayor should be able to work with everyone’, she says.
“I don’t think a mayor with a working majority is good for democracy. It means everything is pushed through without a really good case-by-case and robust debate,” said Templeton, who would not support Mauger or Meates.
“I tend to take a more values and results approach rather than a personality approach. I think that’s a more convenient way to do it.”