John Banks – another Melissa Lee

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 1st, 2010 - 74 comments
Categories: auckland supercity, by-election, john banks, local government, melissa lee - Tags: , ,

Oh dear. John Banks just stuffed up big time. He’s following in the footsteps of that other spectacular right wing flameout, Melissa Lee in the Mt Albert by election:

John Banks’ comments raise heckles

A political salvo aimed at wounding the leadership aspirations of Manukau mayor Len Brown is still causing outcry in South Auckland tonight. Last night on the Close Up debate, Banks told Brown he didn’t “want South Auckland replicated across the North Shore and across all of Auckland”.

Banks said Brown had “led a social disaster, his city has been a social disaster for Auckland”.

South Auckland bashing! Classy.

Brown, Banks’ main rival for the role of Super City mayor said today Banks’ comments were out of line. … Banks is also being criticised by long-time residents of South Auckland.

“I think his comments are very divisive, they are very old fashioned. How on earth can one man lead one city when he has a very entrenched view about South Auckland?,” said Colleen Brown, a Manukau City Councillor.

“I have lived here for 20 years, I love the place, I choose to live here, so do a lot of other people. As a mayor of a city you need to have a political awareness of what to say and what not to say and he he’s alienated a very huge number of people by these comments which is unwarranted in my view.”

This is straight out of the Melissa Lee “Politics For Real Dummies” play book:

Prime Minister John Key wants Mt Albert voters to consider what the Government is doing, rather than focus on local issues as his candidate Melissa Lee’s campaign goes from bad to worse. … Ms Lee, a list MP standing in the June 13 by-election, yesterday apologised for saying a new motorway would divert South Auckland criminals away from the area, a remark that angered many who said she was stereotyping South Aucklanders.

That unwanted glimpse into the depths of Ms Lee’s prejudices effectively killed her campaign, and led to a humbling defeat, a massacre. Lee was abandoned by Key and the party hierarchy, and left to face that defeat alone.

I had a certain amount of sympathy for Lee. None at all for Banks. He’s already confessed that he would be unelectable if he told the truth about his policies. Now he’s made the same bungle as Lee and revealed his South Auckland prejudices. The same bungle deserves the same fate. Banks cannot credibly operate as mayor of the SuperCity.

74 comments on “John Banks – another Melissa Lee ”

  1. Pascal's bookie 1

    It wasn’t an accidental or throwaway line either, he’s also robocalling the message to Remuera:

    Vote catcher or dispatcher?

    Jessica received a charming, recorded cold-call from the John Banks campaign. “Apparently if I vote for Len Brown, he’ll hike my rates and send the money to South Auckland to pay for its crime and problems. Gee, I thought I moved to Remuera so I wouldn’t have to think about those less prosperous than me. How can they assume that just because I live in Remuera I’ll automatically have a ‘xenophobic’ view of South Auckland? This is why I did not vote for John Banks.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sideswipe/news/article.cfm?c_id=702&objectid=10677208

  2. Banks had an earlier Melissa Lee moment at the Radio New Zealand debate.

    Len criticised Banks for failing to build Otahuhu a swimming pool despite decades of promises. Len said that the money that could have been spent on the pool had been spent instead on putting sand on Judges Bay.

    Banks replied by saying that South Aucklanders used Judges Bay as well!

    If you replace “People from South Auckland” with “the peasants” Banks’ thought processes become very clear.

    What I am really pleased about is that the urban area with the highest vote return rate is … Otara!

    Go Len.

    • luva 2.1

      If you replace “People from South Auckland” with “the peasants” Banks’ thought processes become very clear

      Or you could replace it with “People who do not live in my jurisdiction but happen to live in yours”

      • Tigger 2.1.1

        Great to see the voter return rate in Otara is so high. And this latest comment ought to help get out the vote all across South Auckland.

    • Mike 2.2

      Anyone notice that Otahuhu was never part of Manukau? –

    • Jum 2.3

      I went to that protest and submitted on the fact the land was sorted, the design was sorted the will was there as was the voluntary labour if necessary; all it needed was some funding from John Banks. Instead he banked up the sand for the richos.

      People really need to make sure he doesn’t get that Mayor’s seat with Key and Hide alongside to sell us off. This election and the next will determine what NZ becomes – another selfish religo-manic misogynistic country like America or retains some semblance of Kiwi prestige. Oh, too late by the looks of it.

    • Kaplan 3.1

      The stats don’t ‘lie’ they don’t tell the ‘truth’ either, they just exist. Interpretation of the stats can however lie or be truthful or anywhere in between.
      So what’s your interpretation?

      • The Voice of Reason 3.1.1

        I note from earlier contributions that factchecker just randomly inserts ‘facts’ without comment, as if it was blindingly obvious what it all means. All very two dimensional without the context and I suspect its a deliberate tactic to hide factcheckers political leanings.

    • BLiP 3.2

      Looks like I’ve got a greater chance of being murdered now that National Ltd™ are in power.

    • factchecker

      The stats show that under National homicides have gone up 20%.

      I thought Key and co were going to sort out this problem once and for all?

      What went wrong? Who do I complain to?

      • Colonial Viper 3.3.1

        Stand down Micky. Its all on plan for Corrections to become the biggest Government department, move on, nothing unexpected here.

  3. the sprout 4

    agreed.
    i’ve actually been a little surprise at just how inept Banks has come across on the hustings.
    i mean, i know he’s all bully and sociopath and no genius, but i didn’t expect him to expose himself as quite so incompetent as a campaigner.

    • Craig Glen Eden 4.1

      I watched him out in New Lynn last week at the opening of the new train station, hardly anyone would go near him. Banks left pretty quickly he didn’t hang round and he looked like a candidate with very little support and sorry for him I definitely was not.

  4. nilats 5

    Well, a poli telling the truth. S. Auck. is a dysfunctional shithole keeping their squalid 3rd world lifestyle when they move to NZ.

    This is a generalisation but it true for some areas.:

    The problem with Brown is he would like to take Auckland in general to the Sth Auck level and not take Sth Auck to the Auck level. Culture, yeah right. Sth Auck culture is rape, robbery, kiddy bashing a lot more than the rest of Auck. Oh, I forgot tomention the gangs.

    Wishy washy lefties love Sth Auck as they are thick and vote Labour with hollow promises and increased money poured in for no increased outcomes and KFC.

    You can take the man from the coconut plantation but you can’t take the coconut from the man.

    I have lived in Papakura but moved to the N. Shore when I could afford it. In the 7 years there the place went downhill with crime, graffiti etc all increasing. My wife was abused by 15 yr old drunken coons and when confronted out came the tough boys knifes.

    Yep, Banks is right, thats a fact.

    Brown will win and watch Auckland go downhill due to his social policies. A bit of Sth Auckland coming to a place near you. Yep, I am racist, but everyone is in one way or another.

    Why do you think the South Africans live on the North Shore? Because there are no blacks.

    [Reluctantly, I will let this comment through in all its glory. This mindset is all too common in NZ, so we might as well see it for what it is. — r0b]

    • toad 5.1

      Jeez, what rock did you slither out from under, nilats? Great to see the calibre of support Banks has, r0b.

      • come get some 5.1.1

        “Wishy washy lefties love Sth Auck as they are thick and vote Labour with hollow promises and increased money poured in for no increased outcomes and KFC.”

        or

        “Wishy washy centrists love John Key as they are thick and vote National with hollow promises and decreased taxes poured in for no increased outcomes and standard of living”

    • The Voice of Reason 5.2

      Yeah, thanks r0b, it really is good to expose this crapulent fool. The unusual thing is that its normally drunks who come out with this sort of shit. Sadly, nilats appears to be stone cold sober yet still dribblingly repetitive like a pisshead trying to remember his point when the conversation has long moved on..

    • BLiP 5.3

      Scratch any Tory and that’s what you get.

    • pollywog 5.4

      Hahaha…i’d rip your honkyass a new one but i’m too busy laughing at you.

      you NEED to start sending out the love vibes or a hell of alot worse things are gonna happen to you and your wife with that attitude….karma is a bitch eh !!!

    • Vicky32 5.5

      The words racist git spring to mind… How about you go (back?) to Seth Efrica, jaapie?
      Deb

    • Jum 5.6

      Lovely nilats
      I must tell my NAct friends in Franklin, South Auckland, that Franklin is seen to be a dysfunctional shxxhole by John Banks. Banks is not loved in Franklin. Hopefully this will finish him off altogether.

    • annaliviaplurabella 5.7

      Keep ip up nilats. You have confirmed what many suspects was the core value set of Banks/C&R/Nats/Act. You have provided a valuable service.
      T
      hank you Editor for publishing this. We want a free society. Daylight and the oxygen of exposure are vital to a democracy. They are the opposite to what Banks and his corner boys want.

  5. ak 6

    Massive break for the Left here: Auckland is the prize that will reverberate through to next year.

    A rare chance for a few short days for any of us able to walk, hobble or crawl to as many doors as possible armed with that quote from Banks and deliver a giant stride for Progression. Perfectly legal to offer to post mail for anyone.

    Last chance weekend. Do us proud.

    • nilats 6.1

      Massive break for the left, I thought Len was an independent.

      However, a break for Auckland it will not be once Len starts raising rates by 10% Per year to pay for largess of increased social policies such as retirement homes, more culture & arts that the masses.

      How about a rail link to Nth Shore for all 100 people to use daily, $2bn will be easy to find for this. Put it on the Council Card.

    • Colonial Viper 6.2

      Good on ya. Keep it up and get Brown a few hundred more well deserved votes.

  6. Peter G 7

    As a resident of Mangere Bridge, I take exception to Mr Bank’s comments, South Auckland is what you could describe as a “real” place with an amazing diversity of people. In the 9 years we have lived here we have never had any Burglaries , or Cars being interferred with etc. We feel perfectly safe .

    I fear that Johnny boy is getting desperate !

    • toad 7.1

      I grew up in South Auckland too – and had the same experiences as you Peter G. I live in West Auckland now, but for the sake of proximity to my and my partner’s employment, not because of anything alluded to in nilats’ racist rant.

      And for the record, the Counties-Manukau Police District has 2009 reported crime rate of 1,119 per 10,000 population, which compares favourable with 1,333 in the Auckland Police District.

      [And before some pedant picks me up on it, I know that the Police Districts don’t correspond exactly with the Manukau and Auckland TLA regions. But it still indicates there is little factual basis for Banks’ and nilats’ assertions, which are based on pure bigotry.]

      Anyway, good on Banks for one thing – he’s probably guaranteed the highest ever South Auckland turnout in a local authority election. Which won’t be good for him, of course.

  7. Sanctuary 8

    The mayor for Remuera’s comments reveal his mindset – Bank’s “Auckland” is white, well healed and lives in the Eastern suburbs. The “other” Auckland is a sort of local third-world lite suitable for the occasional visit, but otherwise it might as be on the otherside of the moon.

    Bank’s has failed in the first duty of a SuperCity mayor – to be a unifying force rather than a divisive one.

    Bye Bye Banks.

  8. tc 9

    Banks yet again displays what a knuckle dragging luddite he is/was/always will be. The right doesn’t care as it’s after the assets not the pomp/ceremony/status and power associated with supermayor….which’s all Banks is in it for.

    Supershity’s engineered by NACT so it largely doesn’t matter anyway but if nothing what we get is to place flowers on banks political tombstone after the elections then as borat would say…great success.

    No surprise Wodney/Ford have been making pilgramages to the uberlord of public asset sellouts in his bay of Islands hideaway.

    • The Voice of Reason 9.1

      What is it with folk having a go at the Luddites? They were a brave, skilled and organised army of tradesmen who acted in a class conscious manner and it took all the machinery of the burgeoning capitalist state to defeat them. Banks doesn’t deserve comparison with them, except in the sense that Luddites were used to working with tools.

    • hateatea 9.2

      Not a Luddite but perhaps a trogdalyte!

      captcha:mistakes (I am convinced a real person with a sense of humour is choosing these)

  9. G8 10

    I live in Remuera please don’t paint us all with same distain of John Banks. Some had thought after his illness he had mellowed and changed; his comments show he has reverted to type and please accept our apologies to the people of Sth Akl. Mr Brown you now have our vote.

    • r0b 10.1

      Good on ya G8.

    • Irascible 10.2

      Banks has always campaigned at below the floor level. He hasn’t changed from being a bigot and never will. His campaigning style won him Whangarei in the 80s and he believes it will retain him as Mayor in 2010 hence his cold call phone calls recorded on Sideswipe.
      If he is elected watch him & his trolls put the boot into South & East Auckland as Rodney’s great asset strip is allowed free rein.

  10. hateatea 11

    As a Mainlander, I wasn’t going to comment here until I read the extraordinary comment by nilats.

    I watched the Closeup ‘debate’ with something akin to horror. Having never been a fan of John Banks, I had no high expectations but the depth of his ‘lows’ left me almost speechless. That someone whose first and enduring role must be to unify some quite disparate areas and their representatives into a strong, balanced and forward looking council to utter such inflammatory remarks made me almost wonder if he really wants the job at all!

    As for ‘nilats’, he joins Banks, Key, English, Brownlee and Brash firmly in Nati Redneckery.

    If it wasn’t that decisions made in Tamakimakaurau affect the rest of the country too, I would be thinking that Jafa’s will get the governance they deserve. Unfortunately I fear that with the supercity, even local governance will impact on the rest of us. If John Banks is the mayor, I think I will be avoiding all areas north of the Bombay Hills. Of course, my absence won’t affect anyone but me!

    captcha: medical (Is this for Mr Banks perhaps)

  11. Tony Palmer 12

    What is extraordinary to an (admittedly slightly shaken) Cantabrian is that Banks is in the frame at all. As many of you state, he’s blatantly divisive, racist, rude, apparently quite thick, inarticulate, short, aggressive, shrill, outspokenly ignorant and wholly unattractive. So how come he’s one of two leading candidates in what everyone admits is a tight race for such an influencial position ?
    Clearly nilats is not alone in his world of bigotry.

    Jeeeze Aucklanders get a bloody grip. At least we’re only considering an ageing dictator in a red cape versus a slippery Nat in post quake caring mode. Both seem credible pollies and locally interested blokes though … unlike your choices.

    • comedy 12.1

      Our choices in Auckland are so stuffed that Brown and Banks might be considered two of the more mainstream/normal candidates… it is indeed a fucking disgrace.

      Local and governmental candidates in this country are an absurdity.

      • RobertM 12.1.1

        They are actually among the most dismal of the local body offerings. I cringe with the idea of Sandra Coney and John Walker on the Auckland Council. Sandra would cause untold trouble.
        Banks is in a panic. He already has all the votes of the racists and the rather different group who don’t want too much of a Pacifika orientation in greater Auckland or too much social intervention. I imagine there might be quite a lot of agreement between Sandra and Len Brown.
        However where Brown is winning and Banks losing a lot of votes is on the public transport issue. The performance of Banks in the TV3 debate was a disaster. Banks dismisal of the options of a city rail loop, Auckland airport rail connection and and eventual harbour crossing and line to Takapuna when the inevitable under harbour tunnel goes in ,in ten to fifteen years was fatal.
        Banks should have displayed more flexibility and said the council would actively consider an extension of the Onehunga extension or a light rail 4ft 8 inch seperate system from Britoamart to the Airport ,running on the streets like a Melbourne tram to Onehunga and on a private right of way to the airport. Running dowm Manakau, Eden or Dominion Rd this would better service the popualtion core and would require a much lower axle load and no freight compatability. Light rail might be a better option allround.

  12. Kim Hutchinson 13

    Quote from Len Brown on John Banks’ recent comments about social issues in South Auckland:

    ” We should be addressing our strengths and opportunities and not be fixated by what our challenges are”
    (End of Quote)

    this sums up the dishonest and non trustworthy Len Brown.(Had to cut up his Council Credit Card on National Television!)
    His statement clearly shows he is unable to face any of the hard issues, and that he has failed to make any impact in his Manukau City with the Issues that really count.

    ..and, remember…he is quoted as saying ” I have total transparency…with Limits!”

    I think he may be in for a shock on October 9th

    • the sprout 13.1

      Cute – your delusion and ineloquence is quite endearing.

    • Irascible 13.2

      This response isn’t logic or rationality.

      I reckon Len was saying to Banks that there are strengths & opportunities to be utilised to make Auckland work – however these won’t be recognised by Banks because he if fixated on his own big challenges – a limited intellect and policies based on bigotry.

  13. gobsmacked 14

    Reasons not to vote for John Banks, number 384:

    John Banks has only ever been to three movies in his life, one of which was the Spice Girls’ Spice World. The other two were the Sound of Music and a western called Laramie.

    (NZ Herald, today)

    Voters respond: “So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight …”

  14. felix 15

    Make no mistake, Banks didn’t. This is deliberate. This is his last ditch attempt to stir up the racist underbelly of Auckland.

    He knows he’s fucked – he wouldn’t have tried it if he wasn’t – but he’s going for broke now and a hopeless and desperate appeal to the lowest and worst instincts of Aucklanders is all he’s got left.

    This is his Butch & Sundance final scene.

    • Kim Hutchinson 15.1

      HIGHEST VOTER TURNOUT TO DATE- OTARA/PAPATOETOE

      Wonder why?

      “Police have raided homes and businesses in Auckland as they investigate alleged super city electoral roll fraud.

      Detective Inspector Mark Gutry, crime manager with Counties Manukau Police, said over the last two days police had carried out searches in the Papatoetoe ward as part of and inquiry into electoral roll enrolment irregularities.

      He said the search warrants were executed at “properties of interest” by up to 40 police following a complaint from the Electoral Enrolment Centre.

      The Registrar of Electors last week removed 306 enrolments after establishing that people did not live at addresses stated on enrolment forms.

      People at the addresses or associated with them have been very helpful, he said.

      Candidates and campaign staff will also be contacted for information as part of the inquiry.

      “Police are very aware of the electorate interest in this inquiry and we are working to complete it as thoroughly and quickly as possible,” Gutry said.

      ….MORE cheating by a desperate Brown Camp who have read their Exit Polls & got a nasty surprise…………………………

      • gobsmacked 15.1.1

        Judging by the tone of your comments, Kim, it looks like you’ve cornered the market in “desperate”.

        Why has John Key run away from John Banks? A few weeks ago he couldn’t stop praising his good mate Banksie, turning up at the functions, grabbing the photo ops – the two Johns, brothers in arms ….

        … and now he’s nowhere to be seen. Funny, that.

        • Kim Hutchinson 15.1.1.1

          If you check the records, John Key has endorsed no candidate, and was at one supporters function in Auckland,unlike the Labour team & Leader who have been actively promoting, against the rules, the so called Independant Candidate, Lenny Brown.

          • Draco T Bastard 15.1.1.1.1

            I’m pretty sure you’ll find that Jonkey did endorse Banks as SuperMayor. And I’d certainly say that going to a private function to “thank super city campaign supporters” is also an endorsement no matter how much he says it wasn’t.

            • KIm Hutchinson 15.1.1.1.1.1

              Still doesn’t get away from Len Brown’s comments that we should not be fixated on what the challenges are in South Auckland!
              …which means Len has no backbone to tacke the real hard issues in his own backyard.
              He wants to be Mayor of Manukau & is peeved he had only 1 term to spend on that Credit Card!..stealing from his own Ratepayers. Proven!
              He was against the Supercity, but realised it had to happen, and thought he would “give it a shot” otherwise he’ll be on the unemployment line.
              He is open & honest & transparent – WITH LIMITS!
              Manuaku City has been reported as having the worst infrastucture in Auckland…with new areas without basic amenities such as footpaths (METRO)
              Hundreds of residents are marching the streets in protest at his lack of action with Liquor Outlets.
              He has promised everything to everyone to buy votes.
              His team is cheating to get the Vote out in Otara & Papatoetoe ( you will find thousands of Votes will be disqualified)..and he has the Labour MP for Auckland Issues publicly endorsing him as Mayor….against all the rules.!
              …and everyone remembers the way he handled his dishonesty admissions……there is no way he can cope with any issue, let alone difficult ones..that will face the SuperCity Mayor on day one.

              It was nice popping into The Standard site ….and present the real facts…
              again, I reiterate, Len has read the Exit Polls and has a big mountain to climb

              [lprent: As an observation (about someone who I have already had to move an off-topic comment to OpenMike today), using caps and multiple !’s triggers my anti-troll instincts. I suggest that you read the policy to find out why that is dangerous. ]

              • Peter G

                Sorry, But I have a funny feeling that Banks is toast.

                • lprent

                  I have that feeling about Banks as well. I also think that C&R will suffer.

                  Toast also describes Rodney Hide

                • toad

                  Go easy on toast!

                  I enjoy eating toast in the morning. I wouldn’t enjoy Banks in the morning though, or any of his mates like Paul Goldsmith from the Shits & Rats or Christine Rank-indeed from the North Shore Shits & Rats clone ticket “North Now”.

                  • Peter G

                    Sorry Toad , I quite like toast as well 🙂

                  • Colonial Viper

                    Don’t worry lads, Banksie isn’t the good kind of nutritious toast, he is the blow-torch carbonised, crumble into dry dust form of toast.

                    Bill and John next.

              • Draco T Bastard

                Hundreds marching in the streets? There’d be a news item on it
                Worst infrastructure? Again there’d be a news item on it

                I can’t find any news items anywhere backing up what you say is so bad which leads me to believe that you’re lying.

              • BLiP

                Wanna talk about cheating? Here’s City Rats Chairman John Slater dobbing in some of his National Ltd™ mates for dubious dealings, got anything to say about that? Wanna talk about the calibre of candidates? Here’s what a judge had to say about one of the Citizen and Ratepayers candidates. Wanna talk about financial malfeasance? Here’s multimillionaire John Banks trying it on for a few hundy to shout his mates at the tennis – and who can forget what happens when John Banks’ gets to look after other people’s money

      • Anne 15.1.2

        Kimmy sweetheart.
        The Nat dirty tricks (alias research) unit and funny boy Farrar are just panicking. Don’t take it to heart. It’ll be alright. Len’s a nice fella. You won’t get hurt after October 9!

  15. Millhouse 16

    From memory a ‘Kim Hutchinson’ works for Mr Banks’ faltering campaign. That would also account for her spurious “real facts” and unwarranted optimism.

    • BLiP 16.1

      There was certainly a Kim Hutchinson at the John Banks “Victory Party”. Of course, there could be hundreds of Kim Hutchinsons out there.

      • Colonial Viper 16.1.1

        With all the awesome political talent Banksie has collected around himself I am sure he has nothing to fear.

  16. Auckland_Southie 17

    For me, this election was the battle of “who is the worst of the 2 evils?”.

    To be honest, I voted Brown, ONLY because I seriously did not want John [laughing all the way to the] Banks. Brown was simply, the better of 2 evils. I had made my mind up on this decision long before he made this comment, but this surely cements it.

    Should Banks not have been on the cards, I would have voted Colin Craig. He seems nice.

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