Its main ambitions were to continue to control the Wellington City Council, reduce local spending and deny left-leaning Labour Party candidates being elected.
[5] The last time the Citizens' Association contested an election was a 1997 by-election where it backed Ian Hutchings, who finished second in the Northern Ward.
[7] Ultimately it did not contest any seats at the election, instead endorsing the Wellington Alive ticket for the city and regional council.
Many times opponents attempted to debunk the Citizens' Association claim to possess an "anti-party" ideology (and thusly contrast themselves from Labour candidates) by linking the two.
[9] The matter surfaced several times such as in the 1977 elections when Labour mayoral candidate Sir Frank Kitts stated that he had been informed by Citizens' Association members that the National Party had been using its head office officials to advise the Citizens' Association about its local election campaign and how best to keep Labour out of local office.