ACT deputy leader makes bid for true blue National seat

For the last 63 years the Auckland's Tāmaki electorate has been a true blue seat - a mere tap in for National. 

But the ACT Party believes that incumbent MP Simon O'Connor is on shaky political ground: he is a mere footnote on National's party list at 54, while his ultra-conservative views on abortion, same-sex marriage and euthanasia have some constituents looking elsewhere for their representative in Parliament.

Enter ACT Party deputy leader Brooke van Velden: young, female, socially liberal and with significant resources being poured into her campaign, she is seen as having a genuine chance of turning Tāmaki yellow. 

Checkpoint visited both candidates on the campaign trail, just seven weeks out from the election.

Edged by Auckland's sparkling eastern bays, the Tāmaki electorate includes affluent suburbs like Saint Heliers, Kohimarama, Mission Bay and Meadowbank - as well as the working class Glen Innes. 

Staunch monarchist and former Roman Catholic chaplain Simon O'Connor has held the seat for 12 years.

Just off the main drag in the bustling seaside suburb of St Heliers, RNZ caught up with O'Connor after his morning knocking on doors in Mission Bay and visiting two local schools.

So what does he think the biggest issues are for people in the area? 

"Cost of living is first and foremost, people are finding it very, very tough, crime is a big one ... of course health and education. 

"I think generally people are finding that services are declining," O'Connor said. 

Before politics he was a Roman Catholic chaplain and trained to become a priest. 

He has voted against legalising same sex marriage, decriminalising abortion and opposed the End of Life Choice Bill. 

"I voted against the the marriage changes because I think it's a very particular definition, that's the first statement, the second is there's a whole lot of different relationships and I'm very comfortable with that. 

"I think I've got a very good relationship with our LGBTQI[A+] community, often helping them out with different things, doing some immigration and even some surrogacy work at the moment." 

According to the latest census data from 2018 there are around 3000 more women in the Tāmaki electorate than there are men. 

When asked if his controversial views could alienate the majority of his constituents O'Connor said: "My views on abortion are very well known, I'm pro-life."

"So it doesn't matter if it's abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, I'm opposed to it."

He was forced to apologise after posting "today is a good day" with a heart emoji on social media, after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade - a woman's right to choose to have an abortion. 

But he said he treated women who have made what he calls "different choices" with kindness and care. 

When asked if he stood by his comments made on social media he said: "I think it was the appropriate political decision of the American Constitution, I mean, ultimately it sent back responsibility to the state, it was the right decision." 

As for whether he thought his religious beliefs would affect his popularity, he said that was up to the voters. 

People Checkpoint spoke to outside Eastridge Shopping Centre had mixed opinions about who they would vote for. 

"I don't think he's ever gonna recover from me after that stupid comment he made about abortion, so anyone but him," one woman said.

"Ahh not him and not the other two either," another person said. 

One person said the vote returned to O'Connor because of the affluent make-up of the area and they did not feel represented. 

Others said they would vote for him: "I'm a very big fan of Simon O'Connor, he's done a lot in our community." 

Down the road at St Heliers Library, the ACT Party's Brooke van Velden was out fundraising for Daffodil Day. 

She said people want more from their next government. 

"Crime, people do not feel safe on our streets, I'm hearing real concerns about our economy and whether or not it's going to thrive in the next few years or whether people's children will move overseas." 

The party strongly opposes co-governance and wants to change the country's constitutional settings, reducing the power of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. 

It did not take long before the issue was brought up by a local coming to make a Daffodil Day donation. 

The woman asked van Velden if she was anti co-governance to which she responded "yes I am" and asked the woman what her main concerns were. 

The woman replied: "If they have control then we don't have control."

Van Velden said people wanted change. 

"People don't feel like they've had a local voice that's representing them in Parliament... there hasn't been choice around here for 63 years." 

When not campaigning, O'Connor said you would find him pottering in the garden or walking with his wife. 

Van Velden said she would be down at the tennis courts letting off steam. 

While there has been no public polling for the Tāmaki electorate, ACT insists its internal surveys have National and ACT neck-and-neck.