An Auckland mayoral candidate who's gaining ground on social media is disappointed she's being excluded from public debates.
Twenty-two-year-old Chloe Swarbrick is the youngest of the 19 candidates in a mayoral race in which most candidates are middle-aged, male and European.
She has protested her exclusion from several debates, including the six-candidate Auckland University debate last week.
Ms Swarbrick told Newstalk ZB debate organisers and ordinary voters shouldn't jump to conclusions about who's going to win and who should win.
"Auckland should be critiquing all of the candidates equally as everyone other one. Treat all the candidates with the exact same suspicion and ask the same questions."
The highest-polling candidates have been making bold policy promises on issues like cutting council spending, reducing rate rises and addressing the housing shortage.
Ms Swarbrick said some of the candidates may be making promises they can't keep, since the new mayor will depend on the support of other councillors to get their policies through.
She said she is realistic about needing to get the next round of councillors to support her policies, but she believes many candidates aren't.
"On certain issues the candidates are willing to say that would be something that council would have to decide.
"But on those big bold promises, those things that do differentiate them, they are willing to say they are absolutely going to see this happen."
Nineteen mayoral candidates will be listed on the ballot papers, when voting packs are posted out to mail boxes on Friday.
Chloe Swarbrick will join Mark Thomas, John Palino, David Hay, Phil Goff and Penny Bright at a transport debate in Parnell tonight.
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