Auckland 'tantalisingly close' to vaccine goal

[padding] [If you are unable to view this message correctly, click here]( [padding] [stuff header]( [spacer] [padding] Hi {NAME}, WHAT WILL COVID-19 DO TO AUCKLAND'S LEAST-SUPPORTED ELECTION? Take Auckland’s lowest-turnout three-yearly election, throw in a new political grouping, and then run it during what is claimed as the world’s toughest Covid-19 lockdown – what happens? The result will be known after October 29, when the votes are tallied for Entrust, the community trust which owns a roughly $2.6 billion, three-quarter stake in listed [power network company Vector.]( Entrust, for reasons hard to explain with certainty, has seemed to slide quietly out of most Aucklanders’ lives with only 12.4 per cent voting in 2018. Time for a quick history recap. Once upon a time there was an elected Auckland Electric Power Board, which until 1993 owned the power lines through much of central and southern Auckland. Several electricity reforms and sell-offs later, Vector is the remaining entity, mostly owned by Entrust, and elected by 346,000 customers in the old AEPB area. Entrust and AECT have traditionally been the domain of the National Party-aligned Communities and Residents ticket (C&R). In 18 years only one seat, and for only two terms, went to the centre-left. The low overall turnout varied sharply in 2018, with voting in the wealthier eastern suburbs nearly twice that of southern Manukau. For 2021, the traditional centre-left grouping, Labour and the Greens “City Vision”, decided not to contest Entrust, and at the same time an [entirely new climate-focussed group]( formed, with a new pitch to voters. More for You, Better for Climate is an ethnically-diverse line-up with backgrounds in urbanism, venture capital and management consultancy. It says Vector needs to be steered more aggressively into accelerating a low carbon future, and that being more innovative, would also help the payout to “beneficiaries”. C&R is campaigning on experience and consistency, especially the payment of the dividend. The other new ingredient this election, is that the main campaign period has occurred under Covid-19 alert levels 4 or 3, preventing face-to-face campaigning and meetings and, under Level 4, erecting billboards. Voting papers have been delivered and need to be returned by October 29. [padding] [user profile pic] [padding] Todd Niall [padding] Senior Stuff Journalist [padding] [spacer] [padding] [See more Auckland news]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [spacer][Watch this video now][spacer] Auckland 'tantalisingly close' to 90 per cent first doses, likely this week [spacer] [Just 20,360 more people]( need to get the Covid-19 vaccine in Auckland before 90 per cent of the region's eligible population will have had their first dose. Super Saturday saw more than 9000 first doses administered to Aucklandes, meaning 89 per cent of those 12 and over have had at least their first dose of the vaccine. It was the region's biggest day on record for vaccines, with a further 32,042 second doses given. [spacer] [Read More]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] More Auckland stories you might have missed [spacer][separator] [padding] [spacer] [padding] [Article Image] [spacer] Auckland's City Rail Link tunnel boring machine breaks through to Karangahape Station [spacer] [Read more button]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [Article Image] [spacer] Auckland partygoer apologises for breaching lockdown rules at large gathering [spacer] [Read more button]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [gArticle Image] [spacer] Investigation opens into Manukau Harbour deaths [spacer] [Read more button]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [gArticle Image] [spacer] Two strangers saved the life of a man who was dead for 15 minutes [spacer] [Read more button]( [padding] [spacer] [padding] [padding] [spacer][Support Stuff]( [spacer] [padding] Discover more at [spacer] [stuff logo] [spacer] [www.stuff.co.nz/auckland]( [padding] [spacer][footer bar] [padding] [spacer] You are receving this email because you are a opted in to receive the Your Auckland newsletter from Stuff. [Unsubscribe]( [Manage your profile]( [Privacy Policy]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up to get Your Auckland in your inbox]( Stuff, 4 Williamson Ave, Ponsonby, Auckland, 1021, New Zealand [spacer] [padding]