1News Political Editor Jessica Mutch McKay says local election results send a message to the Government that voters are "not happy with the status quo."
McKay told Q+A on Sunday that the Government's water reforms had been a divisive issue across the country. There was a "shift away from Labour candidates" across the country, she added, indicating a "really resounding message to the Government."
"I think the big takeaway is Three Waters. I think that's the big issue, and that's perhaps where we're seeing people motivated," she said.
"Across the board, I think councils have come out and said that they're not happy with it - and I think that the Government and Minister Nanaia Mahuta will have to take a really good, hard look at it."
It comes as local elections showed a shift away from Labour candidates. (Source: 1News)
Meanwhile, voting disparities in our largest city's turnout may have contributed to victory for Auckland Council's first centre-right mayor, says 1News Business Correspondent Katie Bradford.
Speaking to Q+A, Bradford pointed to the city's record-low turnout. Only 10% of Aucklanders - who were eligible to vote - chose Wayne Brown on their voting papers, with a projected turnout far below the national average.
"You look at Ōtara-Papatoetoe, where we were looking at 17-19% of people voting - but then you go up to looking at Devonport, Warkworth, Waiheke, and they were well over 40%. That is a huge disparity and says something quite decisive, I think, about our society and who is out there voting in these elections."
1News' Business Correspondent discusses stagnating local election turnout. (Source: Q and A)
Bradford said the Labour-backed campaign of Efeso Collins had struggled to lift turnout in areas where local government engagement tended to be low.
"As I saw that on Friday, I thought, well, this is bad news for Efeso Collins," she said. "He told me months ago that his strategy was to enrol people to vote and get them out to vote. And then we'll talk about who you vote for. That didn't work."
"People are not engaging with local government. It's too hard to vote. It's too complicated to understand," Bradford added.
Some special voting places in Auckland saw queues on Saturday as voters who had recently changed address or didn't receive their voting papers cast their ballots. Last week, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta revealed she didn't receive her ballots to vote.
McKay said Wayne Brown would now have to work on "creating a more conciliatory approach" in drawing on his "diplomatic skills" when speaking to Wellington as he becomes the mayor for one-third of New Zealand.
She said the success of Green Party-endorsed candidate Tory Whanau in Wellington was an additional indication of unhappiness towards the Government.
"Wellington is always a slight anomaly. We are unusual creatures here and we don't always go with the trend," McKay said. "Tory Whanau is very well connected here in Wellington - but I think that Wellingtonians, again, didn't want the status quo. I think that that's what people will take away from that."
The political editor said people across the country were unhappy with lockdowns and that centre-right voters were likely more motivated to turn out to vote.
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