The Mt Albert shopping area. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
Auckland's Mt Albert electorate has always been held by Labour. But this year, the Green Party is hoping to add to its electoral wins off the back of its 2020 victory in the neighbouring electorate of Auckland Central.
Meanwhile, National's long-standing candidate is campaigning for change.
The Mt Albert electorate spans from the bungalows of Westmere to the hillside of Ōwairaka, the windsurfers of Point Chevalier to the car yards of Arch Hill.
Nick - a fan of The Smiths and public transportation. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
At the Grey Lynn shops, local Nick was picking up a pizza but paused long enough to tell Checkpoint what he considered the big issues at the upcoming election: "Public transport would be a big thing," he said. "And honesty - honesty on behalf of the parties and the people within them."
Over on Mt Albert's main strip, a shopkeeper said safety needed to be the number one focus.
"I don't [know] who's going to reduce the crime rate," he said. "There needs to be strict rules about crime, otherwise businesses are going to shut down."
Up the road in Kingsland, Appi said housing topped the list: "The young fellas, they can't afford to move in or just to make a start. It's too expensive."
The Mt Albert shopping area. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
Mt Albert had one of the lowest rates of home ownership of any electorate - 29 percent at the last census.
Labour candidate Helen White was concerned about how rental instability could affect children.
"If you have really insecure rentals, then children move all the time when they're little, and that's terrible in terms of what it does to their education and even their wellbeing."
Labour's Helen White. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
White narrowly lost out to Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick in Auckland Central three years ago. However, she was now looking forward to standing in her home of more than 30 years.
And after a trilogy of Mount Albert MPs - Helen Clark, David Shearer, and Jacinda Ardern - spent much of their energy leading the Labour Party, she said her list ranking of 47 could play in her favour.
"We've had a lot of high-profile people who've been very, very busy," she said. "They've been amazing, but I think it's time for someone to give this electorate the local attention that it needs."
Mt Albert had been a Labour seat since its inception in 1946, so it might seem like White's to lose. But Ricardo Menéndez March - number eight on the Greens' list, but a distant third in the contest for the Maungakiekie seat three years ago - was looking to give her a run for her money.
"We're running our biggest campaign ever to deliver progressive change for the community of Mt Albert and to win the seat, as well as increasing our party vote."
Menéndez March said the electorate needed housing intensification, but it needed to be done well, especially after Mt Albert homes and businesses were flooded earlier in the year.
Ricardo Menéndez March. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
"This is one of our key campaign priorities, having a fund that can enable central government to work with communities, with local government as well, to upgrade our infrastructure, so that our cities are better able to sponge up water when there are extreme weather events."
National candidate Melissa Lee agreed more houses needed to be built, but also said many houses were sitting empty.
"A lot of landlords, when they have so many regulations put on them find that it's not worth putting their houses up for rental, especially when they can't exit bad tenants who damage their properties and do drugs and all that sort of stuff."
Housing is a big issue in Mt Albert this election campaign. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
She would push to make it easier for landlords to evict unruly tenants.
Lee - number 13 on National's list - had run in Mount Albert since 2009, when Helen Clark resigned, forcing a byelection. She had never won, but said after six years of a Labour government, some people were ready for change.
"When you door-knock, traditional Labour people will always vote Labour, but I sense there's a change. I'm not quite sure if it will come to National, but there are a lot of undecided voters, and that's who I'm trying to talk to, to appeal to them."
Other candidates for Mt Albert included Act's Ollie Murphy and Top's Ciara Swords.
The candidates' electorate highlights
Helen White: Sandringham's South Indian restaurants, Chinese food in Balmoral, Toi Ora Trust, Māpura Studios
Ricardo Menéndez March: Blue Rose Cafe, pizza at Umu, "best Mexican food in the whole country" at restaurants like La Mexicana
Melissa Lee: Orange latte at Handpicked Coffee, dinner at Canton Cafe, beer at Urbanaut
