Desley Simpson: Auckland deputy mayor squashes rumours she was running for mayor

Wayne Brown and Desley Simpson have confirmed they'll run together in this year's Auckland mayoral race.

It's scotched rumours Simpson would run herself.

She's been deputy since Brown was elected mayor three years ago.

She says she wants to do the right thing for Auckland - and she thinks this is the way to go.

"Sometimes you've got to put Auckland first and not yourself - and the mayor has really delivered, this term, some very big changes for Auckland, and still has more to come." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Heather, do for see Ellen Yea, the filming through an
open window from a public place is not an offense,
do you actually, Stu, thank you for that. We will
come back to that. Finally got a statement from the
police on it. Seventeen past five. Now, after months of speculation,
Desley Simpson has finally revealed that she's not running for
Auckland's man and she's with us now, Hey.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Desley, Hello, Heather, how are you Dearsley?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
That's the biggest teas and the longest teas in the
history of mayoral races, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
I didn't mean a tease, but it took a bit
of thinking, Heather, it really did.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Or did it take a long time to negotiate this
with Wayne about both?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
A bit of both?

Speaker 1 (00:37):
What did you get by him? No?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
I believe it's the right thing to do for Auckland, Heather.
Sometimes you've got to put Auckland first and not yourself.
And the mayor has really delivered this term some very
big changes for Auckland and still has more to come.
And at the end of the day, Yes, Look, he's

(01:01):
a bit of a rough diamond, more rough than diamond,
and I'm probably more diamond than rough. But I really
support the initiatives he's put putting and has put together
to benefit Auckland. I mean, look at the future Fund. Okay,
it's going to do with one hundred million for us
next year, you know, more income.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
I mean, I take, I take the point, and I
think the point that you look. I have come to realize,
actually he stands a reasonable chance of being re elected
because actually I suspect that a lot of voters will
be reasonably pleased with what he's done. What would you say, Well.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
I think so, As I said, it'll be interesting to
speak more with you as the weeks ago come closer
to the election about the outcomes that we've achieved this term.
But you know, just for one thing, financially, you know,
he's put some pretty significant targets together for us around
saving money. I chair that committee, and we've exceeded the

(01:55):
savings target. I think the figures are in excess of
four hundred million over over three years. So there have
been savings. There's been more ways and deliverables for more
income to Auckland, and the sorts of things that have
annoyed Auckland is for a long time the content delivering
things that.

Speaker 1 (02:14):
Come on, you can't be ready, you can't be in
campaign mode already. Tell me. I want to know now
what you got out of him in those negotiations.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
It wasn't for much. What I got out of him.
It was about understanding what he wanted to deliver in
the next three years and really understanding that. And I
absolutely share those objectives. And it shouldn't be about you know,
one person or another person. We always need to focus
on Auckland, putting Auckland's first and actually making it a

(02:44):
better place. And that's what I'm here to do. And
so I'm standing as a councilor for ORAQ again. I've
done it before. I love my community and I'm very
happy with my decision.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Good luck of the Daisily. Thank you for your time,
really appreciated. Desley Simpson, Deputy Mayor of Auckland. For more
from Heather Duples Drive, listen live to news Talks at
b from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.