Is Auckland's mayoral race a done deal already? Checkpoint reporter Alex Ashton headed out to the streets to ask the public what they think about the upcoming local body election.

Their billboards may be staring down at us.

They're spending money to make us notice.

But most Aucklanders remain happily oblivious to who the city's mayoral contenders are.

BEVAN READ/stuff.co.nz How would you rate if you were asked to identify local body candidates?

In an informal survey of pedestrians on well-to-do Ponsonby Rd, most struggled to recognise the leading Auckland mayoral contenders.

READ MORE:

* Key Auckland Council races: who to watch

* Meet Auckland's 18 mayoral candidates

* Candidates should show true political colours demands academic

* 22-year-old contests Auckland mayoralty

Though, showing they are not completely politically unaware, they scored 100 per cent on recognising Donald Trump.

Len Brown, the current two-term Auckland mayor (who achieved notoriety for revelations of his extra-marital affair with Bevan Chuang), was recognised by four out of six.

Front-running mayoral candidate Phil Goff (former Labour Party Leader, former Cabinet Minister and long serving MP) also managed to score four out of six.

No such luck for his main challengers Vic Crone, Mark Thomas and John Palino who scored just one apiece.

BEVAN READ / FAIRFAX NZ Just one Ponsonby passerby correctly identified Auckland mayoral candidates Victoria Crone, Mark Thomas and Phil Goff.

University of Auckland emeritus politics professor Barry Gustafson was surprised most people couldn't recognise Auckland's mayoral candidates.

"I drove up to Warkworth the other day and you couldn't help noticing them all up on billboards," Gustafson said.



At two successful ID's, 19-year-old New Zealand Olympic bronze pole vault medallist Eliza McCartney beat Crone, Thomas and Palino.

And none of Auckland's candidates could hold a candle to global pop culture icons Ronald McDonald and Spongebob Squarepants, everyone stopped instantly recognised their mass-marketed mug shots.

SUPPLIED If Spongebob Squarepants ever ran for Auckland Council, his stellar profile could make him a shoo-in.

Perhaps Auckland's mayoral candidates are just too boring compared to America's political circus ringmaster Donald Trump?

Gustafson agrees, saying not one candidate's election manifesto excites.

"If there was something dramatic or there was a celebrity candidate that would rouse people's interest, you see this in the United States, you might not like Trump but you at least know he's a candidate," Gustafson said.

They pale in comparison even with the rather tame Len Brown - who beyond his headline affair, at least also offered entertaining outbursts of street-jive banter or breaking out into song.

So far none of 2016's mayoral wanna-be's have dropped their guard revealing idiosyncrasies anywhere close to Brown's.

But neither have any delivered sober yet brilliant solutions to Auckland's problems that inspire.

"It's a two-way thing [Auckland voters] have to be interested enough [in the candidates]. It's a lack of interest, people register things they're really interested in, they're interested in some issues, transport, tax and housing, they're really annoyed and worried about a lot things but it doesn't necessarily translate into people because they're not sure where [the candidates] stand on these issues," Gustafson says.