For a newbie candidate, Labour’s Onslow Western ward hopeful, Malcolm Aitken, has wasted no time in demonstrating just why the Labour party selected him. He has shown true skill by being able to scale the giddy, sopping wet heights generally only reached by the likes of Sue Moroney and Tim Barnett with his braille business cards.
In week one of his campaign Aitken has decided to reach out to the Pasifika voters of the Onslow-Western ward with a message to mark Samoan Language Week…
Nothing quite says Tagata Pasifika like the residents of Karori, Crofton Downs, Ngaio and Khandallah. It will no doubt come as a shock that his Facebook post received a rock solid zero comments and likes… You’d almost think it didn’t connect with his audience??
I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, and his new campaign photo is an improvement, but seriously? It’s Onslow-Western!! You’re a well paid middle class white guy standing in a ward that covers middle class neighbourhoods almost universally. If he keeps up this sort of ham-fisted campaigning then he will probably blow what could have been a good and unique opportunity for Labour in the ward.
All I can put this down to is that I guess in the same way that Ian McKinnon is apparently chasing a knighthood, Aitken has decided to start his push for a Matai title early.
WCC Watch 
Seriously nwccw? This just makes you look like a prat… Onslow-Western is middle-class so there can’t possibly be any Pasifika voters there? Why not just go the full Nisbet? This is a Facebook post. It costs nothing, and most of his Facebook posts have no likes or comments.
The thing is, a good campaign needs to be authentic and fit the target audience. While this may not have cost anything, it is laughably inauthentic and misdirected. And you can call me racist if you like, but I think a bunch of handwringing white people running around giving token pacific greetings is daft.
The facebook page maybe about his campaign for as OW ward councillor, but once Malcolm’s on the council he will represent the whole city. If Malcolm is passionate about our city’s diversity, can he not express who he is through his facebook page? Would it be worse to cynically tailor his values to get votes?
How does someone recognising Samoan language week make them handwringing or tokenistic rather than just aware of and part of their wider community? Your comments are not only daft but bizzare in their vitriol. P.S some of us who live in Karori are well paid, middle class AND (I know you will find this shocking) Samoan.
Malcolm’s also visited the Gipps St Deli. Seems to be ticking going through the motions of ticking all the boxes.