The men and issues at Mangere

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 20

The men and issues at Mangere

By

BRUCE MORRIS

of the “New Zealand Herald.”

The extraordinary circumstances which have produced the need for a by-election at Mangere on March 26 have left an indelible stain on New Zealand politics. The accusations and counter-accusations which cost a former Labour Cabinet Minister his political career are now over, but they will never be forgotten. Mr C. J. Moyle, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Labour Administration and a member of Parliament for 13 years, was, up to a little over four months ago, seen as a future Prime Minister. Now his future appears to be shattered. After resigning from Parliament upon the release of the findings of the commission of inquiry into the “Moyle Affair” conducted by Sir Alfred North. Mr Moyle declared that he would seek the Labour ticket for the byelection. It was a day after party nominations officially closed — on Februarv 15 — that he finally stood down. Just a week earlier, David Russell Lange, a city lawyer who had stood for the partv at Hobson .in - the 1975 elections, slipped into Labour’s Auckland headquarters and picked up a nomination sheet.

It was virtually a spur-of-the-moment move which he decided on after a chat with his wife. There was no overwhelming support for his candidacy and n. pressure had been applied asking him to stand.

But Mr Lange, an outsider in a 16-strong field, produced a stirring speech on selection night and turned the tables on two former members of Parliament who had been expected to figure in the finish. And now the 34-year-old father of three looks set to take one step further from national obscurity and land the seat for Labour on March 26.

Mr Moyle’s majority at the last election was a modest 1604 — a drop of more than 2300 over the 1972 election, which produced the Labour landslide. There has been a net gain of 4000 more names on the Mangere electoral roll over the last 16 months and Mr Lange is confident that he wi” win — and win well. The main threat for Labour comes, of course, from National, which has dropped its candidate of the last two elections. Mr S. A. Lawson, in favour of a detective-turned-builder. Mr C. R. Simich. The odds seem stacked heavily against Mr Simich and he is realistic enough to realise that he is

entering the contest as the underdog. His party is also the Government of the day and that usually spells problems in a by-election.

Eight candidates are seeking the seat and at least two of them should not be underestimated — Mr W. J. Owens, representing Social Credit, and Mr F. W. Grayson, representing Values. Both are busy doorknocking and holding public meetings and their zeal should be rewarded on polling day with increased support. Even at this early stage political commentators are waiting with some relish for the expected entry of Mr Lange into the House. If he does not make it, it will be a big surprise. He is a big (22 stone) man who has won a reputation in Auckland courts as an outstanding criminal lawyer who is both decisive and articulate. And if his ranking as a top-class lawver appears incongruous with the ideals of the oartv he is standing for, Mr Lange is quick to point out that he is not “one of those lawyers who make a killing.” The Kingsland house which he lives in — and will be leaving as soon as he finds a home in Mangere — cost him $12,000, he says, and $lO,OOO of that came from a bank mortgage. Mr Lange, chairman of the Auckland Committee on Civil Liberties, describes himself as a “square liberal.” He is a little concerned at the “build-up” he is receiving from “oeon’e who should know better.”

“I suppose.” he says, “that mv selection personifies something that is positive after a brief period of internal suffering. "But if I am selected 1 will become a back-bench member of Parliament I am not Hercules. There has even been some incredible talk of Moses. I would quite like to be a Moses, but I am only human.”

Mr Lange sees the main issue of the bv-election as inflation — and his main role in the house, if he gets there, as “articulating the causes of the struggling.” “They are closelv linked.” he says. “You cannot talk about Mannere without talking about the whole issue of cost of living. It is not a matter of balance of payments or external deficits: it is all about getting half a loaf of bread instead of a fn’l one, and half a nint of milk ins+oad of a pint.” Mr Lange sees health, education and social welfare

as the next biggest priorities for Mangere. He would like: better staffing ratios and more ancillary services in schools; more doctors and better health services; extra resources from the Department of Social Welfare. “I am not painting Mangere as a hotbed of anything, but the resources of those engaged in social work are taxed to the limit,” he says. The Manukau City Council owns certain land whiteh is earmarked for development and he believes the people of the constituency should have a stronger say in how it should be developed.

The dawdling Mangere Bridge and the noise from Auckland International Airport are other local issues to which he promises to devote time.

“But it comes back, I think, to the single-income family which is struggling. That is what this by-election will be primarily fought on. “The sewage ponds are something of an unfortunate symbol for Mangere. But, almost defiantly, a sense of community spirit has been built up.”

Mr Clem Simich, a 37-year-old father of three, admits he is the underdog but accepts the challenge and is confident he can pull off an upset. When he was selected to stand on the party ticket, he quietly told National Party supporters: “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. You will find me a good worker.”

National has not been let down by the quiet-spoken, thoughful, former detective who left the police because he wanted to work for himself.

Mr Simich, who worked long hours to establish the small building business he owns in partnership with his brother, has been devoting every spare minute since his selection to win the seat for National.

One of the problems he faces is that he lives in St. Heliers — but he has made a pledge to local people that he will move to the constituency when he wins the seat. Mr Simich also believes inflation is the main issue of the bv-election. It is, he says, as much a local issue as a national one — “an issue of meat, fish and potatoes.” His hours of door-knocking have told him that the by-election will not be a one-horse race, he says. People are disillusioned with the Labour Party and the years of “do-nothing representation” in the area.

“I can identify strongly with people in this electorate,” he says. “I will be a

good worker for the people—and I have the added bonus of being on the side of the Government.” Apart from the importance of inflation, and the need to bring the issue down to its lowest common denominator, Mr Simich lists these as his priorities for Mangere:— Health: He wants to see four or five community hospitals established in the area and more health services being taken into the home. The general practitioner, he says, should be made the cornerstone of the country’s health services. Transport: The constituency is, he says, badly served by public transport and he promises to look at the problem closely. Mr Simich says his party has done “a pretty good job” in the last 16 months — trimmed unemployment, re-

duced inflation, brought the overseas trading deficit back on to an even keel and, in real terms, reduced the internal deficit. Mr Bill Grayson, the Values candidate, is a 30-year-old industrial chemist who lives in Mangere—little more than a stone’s throw from the sewage ponds. He is married with two children. Mr Grayson believes the byelection issues will come down to inflation and, on a more local level, health, education, and public transport. He is confident that Values can double the 983 votes it took in the last election and is heartened by a recent poll conducted by the party which showed 14 per cent support for Values. The Social Credit candidate, Mr Bill Owens, is confident he will improve substantially on the 1057 votes

he polled in Mangere in the 1975 General Election. This 47-year-old father of four told his party selection committee that he was confident he could double his vote and the confidence has increased since he began his door-knocking campaign. Having already canvassed 70 per cent of the electorate he says he will do better on polling day than he expected when the campaign opened. He says the support he is getting is increasing rapidly and, by the time the election is held, Social Credit will have knocked on every’ door in the electorate. Mr Owens, who is a contract cutter for the clothing industry, says inflation and housing finance are the major issues in the by-election. Industrial relations and transport are also of concern to the people in the electorate.