14 Aug 2016

Lawyers called in over candidate blunder

4:08 pm on 14 August 2016

A botch-up in which a local-government candidate was accidentally nominated for the wrong seat remains unresolved.

Auckland Councillor Denise Krum at a Council meeting about the Unitary Plan. 10 August 2016.

Auckland Councillor Denise Krum could be facing competition from her own backers' candidate. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Auckland Future's Viliami Tiseli was meant to be nominated for the local board but was instead nominated to stand against the group's sitting councillor, Denise Krum, in the Auckland Council's single-seat Maungakiekie-Tamaki Ward.

Auckland Future is blaming Manukau Service Centre staff for giving Mr Tiseli the wrong form, and is seeking legal advice.

Electoral officer Dale Ofsoske said he too was seeking legal advice but his understanding was that a nomination could not be withdrawn.

He said the matter was yet to be resolved but with public notices being sent out in the middle of next week, it needed to be soon.

If the nomination could not be withdrawn, Mr Tiseli's name would appear alongside Ms Krum's on the ballot paper.

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