Last Friday was the deadline for all candidates to complete their donations and expenses return. Every election (local and central) requires candidates to declare how they raised their funds and where it was spent.
These will be published on the Auckland Council website but the website isn't the most user friendly, so to help support better transparency here's my return in full.
Unlike certain mayoral candidates, I didn't receive any large donations from trusts. However I did receive donations from some very generous locals but nothing over the $1500 required to declare. The majority of my campaign was funded by my own personal savings. I had money saved up from a house sale intended to be a house deposit but after three elections in three years its mostly spent.
My expenses are spread between traditional channels and social media with nearly a quarter on newspaper advertising and nearly 20% on printed media (although this includes delivery). I budgeted to spend more on social media but because of the way they charge (based on interactions), I didn't spend as much as I thought. The tiny spend on Twitter was an experiment that didn't last (and won't be repeated, even before political adverts were banned).
What this return doesn't show is the countless hours of work put in by me and others who generously volunteered their time. Thank you again for giving up your time, your fences and your skills.
In the spirit of transparency, happy to answer any questions anyone has about my donations or expenses.