Main contenders square up for mayoral race | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

The battle lines have been drawn as the two major players in October's mayoralty bid start campaigning.

The mayoral race cranked up a notch this week with the announcement that Spreydon-Heathcote community board member Dr Megan Woods will be 2021's rival for Cr Bob Parker, who in February decided to stand.

While Cr Parker is well known from his time on television fronting This Is Your Life and two terms as mayor of Banks Peninsula, Dr Woods has a lower profile but the backing of a major political group.

She acknowledges it will be hard to become a household name in Christchurch, but feels she has the qualities needed to be a strong challenger.

"I don't have the quiz show television profile, but for us as an organisation 2021 feel it is about competency, about ideas and about vision. People out there are hungering for fresh thinking and ideas," she said.

One of her key aims is to see the public become more involved in local politics, starting with increasing the number of people who turn up to vote on October 13. She also wants Christchurch residents to feel more involved with the city council.

Cr Parker, 54, told The Star he took any contender seriously, especially one backed by the resources of a major political party.

"However, many Christchurch people have told me that they want a mayor who is above party politics.

"They tell me they want a mayor who is driven more by the real needs of our city and province than by political agendas set in Wellington," he said.

Political studies senior lecturer Dr Janine Hayward, from Otago University, said some voters were suspicious of party politics being involved in local body politics, although others found it appealing.

She said research showed that "last minute" voting was often done through candidate recognition, but if lesser known candidates could "find an issue that strikes a chord with voters" before they went to the polls, they stood a real chance of winning.

Dr Woods, 33, is a business manager for Crop and Food Research, where she has been for 18 months. She is taking three months' leave before the election to concentrate on campaigning and will leave her job if she becomes mayor. "Being mayor is a full-time job," she said.

She began her campaign this week by going door-knocking with Labour MP Tim Barnett, who has endorsed her selection as mayoral candidate.

Dr Woods said one of the reasons she decided to stand was Mr Barnett confirming he wouldn't. The decision had also been made with the backing of her partner of 10 years, Michael MacAskill, and stepdaughter Paige, 12.

She has had one term on the Spreydon-Heathcote community board, which she thinks has given her some understanding of how council works, and doesn't see it as an issue that she has not served as a councillor. She stood in the 2005 general election for the Progressive Party.

The 2021 chairman, Carl Pascoe, said the group's strategic planning committee had been unanimous in its decision to select Dr Woods as its mayoral candidate.

"She brings to the mayoralty a passion for the city. She reminds me a bit of Vicki Buck in terms of her personality.

"She has an incredible intellect, being a PhD historian, and has the ability to connect high level strategy and policy to people's daily lives," he said.

"If the city just wants celebrities, help themselves. If they want competency, vote 2021."

Other confirmed mayoral candidates include CTV personality Jo Giles and Aaron Keown, who came a distant second to Garry Moore in the 2004 election.

2021 is now focussing on the candidates it will be putting up for city council, regional council, community boards and the district health board. Its full team should be announced by mid-May.