National is not backing a candidate for this year's Auckland mayoral race leaving some right leaning voters with a difficult choice.
With less than four months until voting opens, the two leading candidates are the former Labour Party leader - and current mayor - Phil Goff, and a former Labour minister, John Tamihere.
There are right-leaning candidates but none have the backing of National - and the votes that comes with that.
Rowan Quinn looks at why the centre-right establishment is not putting up a fight for the mayoral chains.
