Media Release

Tuesday 23 June 2009

Council Approves Submission to Select Committee on Auckland Governance

Rodney District Council has approved a submission to the Select Committee on Auckland Governance which recommends that Rodney become a unitary Council.

At today’s Council meeting the Council endorsed a submission which proposes that Rodney be excluded from the new Auckland (Super City) Council and instead take on regional council functions within Rodney as a unitary authority.

The submission supports the creation of the Super City to address the issues facing Metropolitan Auckland but recommends that Rodney be excluded from the Auckland Council.

The Council’s view is that the Auckland Council would be more likely to be able to successfully address the complex problems facing metropolitan Auckland if the rural districts of Rodney and Franklin are left out of the Super City.

Rodney District comprises 45% of the Auckland region’s physical area, and includes many remote areas. It has a population density of 37 residents per square kilometre, in contrast with authorities such as Auckland and North Shore, which have densities in excess of 1,300 residents per square kilometre.

The Council’s submission states that the district predominantly comprises of “small settlements and rural communities, requiring the resolution of a very different set of issues to those faced by metropolitan local authorities.”

The submission also refers to the findings of a recent Colmar Brunton survey of 1,200 Rodney residents which found that only 22% of residents want to be included in an Auckland Super City.

61% of survey respondents felt that the proposed governance arrangements of the new Auckland Super City would not adequately represent their needs.

The submission noted that Rodney District Council currently delivers a number of regional council services, such as flood control on the Kumeu River and coastal safety and navigation.

Cost estimates prepared by Council staff on the cost of delivering regional Council services within Rodney are included in the submission. The Council estimates it could deliver regional council functions within Rodney for between $3 and $4.9 million less than the Auckland Regional Council annually.

ENDS

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