A leading candidate in the Auckland super-city council election has withdrawn on health grounds.
Michael Barnett, the Auckland Regional Council deputy chairman and heads of the regional Chamber of Commerce, was to stand for the centre-right Citizens and Ratepayers organisation.
He would have competed against regional council chairman Mike Lee in the Waitemata and Gulf Ward.
The president of Citizens and Ratepayers, John Slater, says Mr Barnett has bigger challenges to deal with over the next months and needs time out from his political career.
