YOUR VIEWS: Greatest Aucklanders | Auckland Opinion | Local Voices from Auckland, New Zealand

UPDATED: Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Dove-Myer Robinson are early leaders in The Aucklander readers' nominations for the Greatest Aucklander of All Time. Meanwhile, a frontrunner is harder to select for the Greatest Living Aucklander.

The community newspaper is running the poll to mark the end of local government in seven cities and districts, and the birth of the new regional authority at the October local body elections. Readers say ...

THE GREATEST AUCKLANDER OF ALL TIME

SIR EDMUND HILLARY
He conquered Everest bringing honour and glory to New Zealand and personal honour by becoming a Knight of the Garter. He was modest and gracious, a model to all of us. He was endlessly generous with his own time, skills and resources in helping the Nepalese and others. He was unique!
Elizabeth Maskill

SIR DOVE-MYER ROBINSON
He wasn't capped on the rugby field. He didn't conquer any mountains. Nor did he bring any trophy cups back to Auckland. The truth is that he wasn't even born in New Zealand, but my nomination for Greatest Aucklander must go to Sir Dove-Myer Robinson. As Auckland's longest serving mayor ['59-65 & '68-80] "Robbie" as he was affectionately known, did more for the quality of life of Aucklanders [then and now] than any other individual. Robbie was the one who stood up and said: "No more sewage in the Hauraki Gulf!" Aucklanders and visitors to the region continue to enjoy the benefits of his stand on this issue. Robbie went down fighting for a rapid transit solution to the traffic problems this wonderful statesman could see looming on the city's horizon. Road traffic won the day and Robbie was voted out; but even then, Auckland's little champion knew what problems lay ahead. In the year 2010, Aucklanders are only just beginning to realise that Robbie had the answers all along. If only we taken action on more of his visionary thinking ...
Tony Wainhouse

SIR KEITH PARK
Adopted Aucklander whose pivotal role in the RAF winning the Battle of Britain saved not only Britain but the whole world from Fascism.
David Pardon

SIR JOHN LOGAN CAMPBELL
We can thank Sir John for his wonderful donation of Cornwall Park to the City of Auckland. Cornwall Park is well known and is used by many Aucklanders for pleasure. Its location and beauty makes it one of Auckland's favourite landmarks.
Leslye Watts

ARTHUR LYDIARD
Has anyone nominated Arthur Lydiard as the Greatest Aucklander? If not, I would like to do so. I know that most people will be looking at Mayors, Prime Ministers, All Blacks etc, but this unassuming Aucklander has made an unparallelled contribution to the health of millions of people around the world. I believe he is the only NZ athletics coach to have three runners on the podium at one Olympic Games (Snell, Halberg, Magee, Rome 1960) and Dixon, Quax, Walker and Tayler also won Olympic / Commonwealth medals. Not to mention Lasse Viren and Pekka Vassala for Finland. But most importantly, he has got three generations of people out jogging. Just think of that contribution to the health (or put another way the savings in health bills) of just about every developed nation!
M Martin
Balmoral

GREATEST LIVING AUCKLANDER

DAME CATHERINE TIZARD
I believe the greatest living Aucklander is Dame Catherine Tizard. Throughout her tenures as Auckland City Mayor and Governor General (the first woman in both roles) she exemplified the positive attributes of Aucklanders with charm, grace and wit. Dame Cath is a huge contributor to the maturity and confidence of the city and wider region today. When someone says the word 'Aucklander' to me, my mind's eye pictures Dame Cath.
E Bremner

SIR PETER LEITCH ( The Mad Butcher)
Sir Peter is well known throughout Auckland and all of New Zealand. He supports numerous charities, is always approachable and is a wonderful example of someone coming from an average background who has become a well-known Aucklander through his generosity and time given to so many.
Leslye Watts

SIR PAUL REEVES
This might be a long shot, because he was born and educated in Wellington, but I'd like to nominate Sir Paul because he has been identified with our city since he studied here in 1958, and your rules allow "adoption"! In fact he was Bishop of Auckland 1979-85 and Archbishop New Zealand 1980-85. He has been an activist for the environment, in many areas of social concern and politics (e'g. Springbok tour), Governor-General 1985-90 (the only one of Maori descent), has held influential positions at the UN, the Commonwealth (observer for the South African elections), negotiated with the Fiji coup leaders, and is still active as the the Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology. He has been honoured by almost every leading university in the Western world.
J Johnson
Meadowbank

SIR STEPHEN TINDALL
'Taka' has to be represented - so we nominate Sir Stephen Tindall, TGS old boy. Yes, he's put the Red Shed on every street corner in NZ, and made squillions out of it, but you can't argue with what he's done with his good fortune - the Tindall Foundation has given a hand up to thousands of Kiwis in need. Enough said!
R & E Shearer
Takapuna

JOE HAWKE
As you wrote in your article about the unofficial history of Auckland, our people have been the victims of two great crimes by the forces of the Crown over the past 60 years. One man stands tall: Joseph Parata Hohepa Hawke. Many people see him as a "Maori protester". They should know him as we do, within his community, his church, MP, and kaumatua.

HOW TO ENTER

The rules are simple:

1. Email a nomination to greatest@theaucklander.co.nz by noon on Friday, 6 August 2010. All nominations should be in the following format:

Subject line: Greatest Aucklander or Greatest Living Aucklander
Message: Joe Bloggs

Followed by your reasons in no more than 50 words. Please leave your name and daytime phone number.

In short, a nominee should be someone who has made an unparalleled contribution to the life of the city; and is readily identified as being an Aucklander by birth or by "adoption" of the city.

2. We will publish nominations on our website, www.theaucklander.co.nz.

3. You can vote for a nomination by emailing greatest@theaucklander.co.nz in this format:

Subject line: Greatest Living Aucklander /// I vote for Mary Smith.

Voting will close at midnight on Sunday 8 August.

4. We will name the public's choices as The Greatest Living Aucklander and The Greatest Aucklander of All Time in our editions of 12 August.

5. The Aucklander editorial board has already made its choices and sealed them.

We will reveal those choices in the same editions.