Goff trying to score points off Key

Phil Goff has said he doesn’t want to be a partisan Mayor, and work across the Council table. Yet he has a gratuitous swipe at John Key in this Herald article, which to me suggests as Mayor he will be more interested in attacking the Government than working with it.

The Herald reports:

Auckland mayoral candidate Phil Goff is eyeing the Remuera Golf Course as a possible site for thousands of new houses.

He wants the sale of the Auckland Council-owned land to be discussed, and he doesn’t care that the Prime Minister plays there.

“That fact that John Key is an honorary member doesn’t exclude the golf course [sale] from scrutiny. If you are looking at assets which return almost nothing to the ratepayer, this is one,” Mr Goff said.

On the substantive issue I agree with Key Goff. I’d sell the golf club land and use it for housing. But why does he bring the PM into it, except to try and make it look like Key is opposed? As far as I know Key has never said anything on this issue.

This to me makes it clear that Goff is campaign to be a Labour Party Mayor, not a Mayor for all of Auckland.

UPDATE: It appears the land was gifted to the Council explicitly for use as a golf course or reserve so the Council has no power to convert it to housing. A minor detail a Mayoral candidate may have checked out before declaring it is a potential site for new houses.