FACT SHEET ON AUCKLAND TRANSPORT GOVERNANCE AND REGULATORY ISSUES

The Government will

provide significantly increased funding over 10 years for Auckland transport,
establish a single body to be responsible for Auckland transport, and
change the law so that Auckland can take decisions on its transport needs and implement them.

GOVERNANCE ISSUES
A new body, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) will be set up from 1 July 2004. ARTA will

be accountable to the Auckland Regional Council for developing and implementing a transport plan for Auckland.
be appointed by a group on which territorial Authorities and the ARC are represented, with an ARC majority
be made up of people who are not members or officials of Auckland Councils
work in a business-like way
receive government and local money to implement the plan
contract with Auckland transport companies and other providers
deal with Auckland transport issues (such as rail, bus, ferry, pedestrian and cycling).

Another body, tentatively called Auckland Regional Holdings (ARH) will be established from 1 July 2004 to govern other regional infrastructure, such as the assets of Infrastructure Auckland.

The new arrangements are set out below, along with information on the arrangements a more detailed description of the role of the each of the organisations:

Role of organisations under new structure

Auckland Regional Council

The Auckland Regional Council will have overall responsibility for integrated planning and delivery of transport in Auckland, including accountability for the performance of Auckland Regional Transport Authority and Auckland Regional Holdings.

The Auckland Regional Council will continue to have statutory responsibility for the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy, Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy and the Auckland Regional Policy Statement (under the RMA).

The ARC will only be able to use the money it gets from ARH for transport and stormwater related projects (the same projects that Infrastructure Auckland can currently make grants for)

Appointments Panel

An appointments panel will be established to fill any vacancy that arises for the ARTA board of directors. The appointments panel will consist of the Chair of the ARC (who will also be the Chair of the appointments panel), 7 other elected members from the ARC and 1 elected member from each of the Auckland territorial authorities.

Infrastructure Auckland

Infrastructure Auckland will be disestablished (as from 1 July 2004) and its assets and liabilities transferred to Auckland Regional Holdings.

Auckland Regional Holdings (ARH)

ARH would be a wholly owned subsidiary of the ARC. Local authority elected members and officers will not be able to be appointed as directors, nor will individuals with a direct financial interest in any activity of ARH. Directors will also need to have expertise in the functions for which ARH is responsible.

The overarching purpose of ARH will be the prudent management of investments and transport assets in the long-term interest of the Auckland region.

ARH will:

receive the assets of Infrastructure Auckland and make funds (income from the management of the assets and transfer of capital) available to the ARC to fund transport and stormwater projects (the same range of matters for which Infrastructure Auckland could currently provide grants).

be a vehicle to hold any future transport (or other) infrastructure that the ARC may acquire.

Auckland Regional Transport Authority

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) would be a subsidiary of the ARC. Local authority elected members and officers will not be able to be appointed as directors, nor will individuals with a direct financial interest in any activity of ARTA. Directors will also need to have expertise in the functions for which ARTA is responsible.

ARTA would have the overarching objective of delivering a sustainable Auckland transport system consistent with the relevant strategic documents and Government policy.

ARTA will be responsible for:

operational planning of integrated roading and passenger transport infrastructure and services for the region, including consultation as appropriate with Transfund, Transit, TrackCo and territorial authorities, and including planning of travel demand management

funding of Auckland transport projects and services including contracting of passenger transport services

implementation of operational plans

funding all roads other than state highways, including c0-funding of all local roads in conjunction with territorial authorities

ARTA will receive funding from the Auckland Regional Council (regional rates and other income, including income from assets currently managed by Infrastructure Auckland), Transfund (funding for approved transport projects/programme) and other revenue – including revenue from services and future travel demand management measures (potentially including road pricing).

Auckland Territorial Authorities

The Auckland territorial authorities would continue to have responsibility for maintaining and developing their local roads and would contribute to the development of the annual roading plan for the region, that ARTA would submit to Transfund (rather than submitting their own applications to Transfund).

Transfund and Transit

The role of Transfund and Transit would remain unchanged in respect of state highways.

REGULATORY ISSUES
The Government will engage expeditiously with the ARC to discuss a change to the Auckland Regional Policy Statement to reflect key parts of the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy and the Auckland Regional Land Transport Strategy in order to give clearer guidance about transport priorities and integration with land use policies, and greater certainty in the consideration of resource consents for key Auckland transport projects.

The Government will also establish a working group with Auckland local authorities to assess the need for changes to other regulatory arrangements governing Auckland public transport.

TIMELINE
End January Package agreed
December-February Government and Auckland work on detail of proposals.
March Officials report back to Government on detailed matters relating to proposals
April Legislation introduced.
30 June Legislation enacted
July New structures established, planned transition begins

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