I don’t campaign, I pray’: Mayoral aspirant

October 5, 2016

I don’t campaign, I pray’: Mayoral aspirant

Auckland mayoral candidate Phil O’Connor at a beachfront cafe at Mission Bay. Photo: Andrew Hallberg

Phil O’Connor’s vision of Auckland is a bleak one.

“Auckland will continue to be a place which is devastated until we can accept unborn children,” Mr O’Connor said as gloomy rain clouds gathered overhead.

The 63-year-old took shelter in a beachfront cafe at Mission Bay after table tennis practice to outline his vision: “my policies are, one, one only, and that is to eliminate abortion.”

He’s running to be the leader of Auckland Council, an organisation that doesn’t carry out any abortions.

“If I was elected mayor, the next day I would be down blocking an abortion clinic. I would stop the abortions that were happening there that day, I would wear my mayoral chains and I'd wear the gowns and I’d do the whole palaver,” said Mr O’Connor.

The mayoral candidate’s group, Christians Against Abortion, can’t be found online. He can’t be found online either. He didn’t submit a photo for the election - the only person not to do so aside from the candidate for Legalise Cannabis Auckland.

“I don’t campaign,” Mr O’Connor said, “I pray.”

He said he really does want the position of Auckland mayor, and young people should care too.

“My generation came in and we introduced abortion to this world ... it’s going to be a new generation that confronts this.”

In the 2013 election, Mr O’Connor received more than 3000 votes, but his detractors still outvoice his supporters.

Auckland University Women’s Rights Officer Diana Qiu said the Christians Against Abortion campaign is irresponsible.

“His policy at the moment doesn’t take into account the welfare of a significant proportion of our population,” Ms Qiu said.

“He does absolutely have other platforms open to him, other than running for a position on which he has to represent 1.4 million people.”

Even some on Mr O’Connor’s side of the fence disagree with his campaign. ProLife Auckland spokesperson Theodore Loretz told Te Waha Nui in an online message that it doesn’t make sense to vote for a candidate with such a narrow scope.

“He has made no policy statements other than on the issue of abortion, and even such statements as he has made on that issue are limited.”

Mr Loretz said while they agree with Mr O’Connor’s stance that abortion is wrong, they disagree with a number of points in his campaign, including his comparison of abortion to ISIS.

“In our view, his platform for mayoralty was offensive in the extreme.”

For 23-year-old Auckland voter Jeremy Roundill, Mr O’Connor’s presence this election is simply a long, uncomfortable labour of one key point.

“He’s not running to be mayor. All he’s done is he’s paid the $400 or whatever it is because he wants to get on the ballot paper that Christians are against abortion . . . he’s just trying to further that one issue.”

Even though Mr Roundill has only been old enough to vote for two local body elections, it doesn’t take an election veteran to see a pattern present itself.

“John Palino, he’s trying to maintain himself as a high profile Aucklander; Chlöe Swarbrick, she’s trying to point out the injustice of the system; and Vic Crone is just sort of auditioning to be part of the National Party. I mean, this is what this race is really about,” Mr Roundill said.

“It’s got nothing to do with being mayor.”

phil-oconnor-interview

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