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Scoop Coverage: Report Calls For Auckld Super City

Monday, 30 March 2009, 9:38 am
Article: Scoop Full Coverage

Perks: "Hide Super-City Overseas Trip Exposed"

Newly released documents detailing Local Government Minister Rodney Hide’s fact finding trip to the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States reveals that over twelve days away he undertook only 10 hours of meetings on Auckland governance, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said today. More>>

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Super City: Minister Announces Decisions On Third Auckland Bill

The third bill will
• transfer Auckland’s assets and liabilities to the new Council
• protect the interests of staff who move from the old councils to the new Council
• give the new Council the powers it needs to be up and running on 1 November 2010, while ensuring that change can occur smoothly. More>>

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Super-Wards: Commission Proposes New Boundaries For Auckland

The Local Government Commission has presented its proposals on the boundaries and representation arrangements for the new Auckland Council. More>>

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Auckland: "Super City Corporatisation A Shocker"

Labour has been leaked the details of the new structure which reveal the Auckland Transition Agency is planning to place control of Auckland’s assets in the hands of up to eight commercially run organisations. More>>

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Super City: Auckland Council Bill Passes, Still No Maori Seats

Te Ururoa Flavell: We know, obviously, that the Māori seats, or mana whenua seats, are an issue for this Parliament, and I want to continue the theme around that and perhaps put some questions to the Minister in the chair, Rodney Hide, as I thought that his kōrero earlier this morning at least gave an overview as to where he is at. More>>

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Super City: Parliament Debates Second Auckland Bill Under Urgency

Rodney Hide’s super city time bomb set to explode grassroots democracy in New Zealand’s largest city started ticking on Tuesday, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said. More>>

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PM's Presser Audio: Key Rescues Rodney. Again.

The entire Rodney District will become part of the Auckland Super City, the Prime Minister announced today. However Franklin District in the south will be split in two, as recommended by the select committee. More>>

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Candidates: Don’t Count Me Out, Says Mike Lee

Do I believe that the ‘centre left’ will unite and field only one candidate Super City mayoral candidate as the New Zealand Herald reported today? Yes I do. But do I necessarily think it must be Len Brown? No I do not. I believe Auckland needs strong, ... More>>

Auckland Boundaries: Regional Councils Tell Govt To Keep Out

The Government is putting Auckland – New Zealand’s economic power house – at risk by needlessly fiddling with the region’s boundaries, ARC Chairman Mike Lee said today. More>>

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Super City: Auckland Gets The Bill

The Bill setting up the super city remains undemocratic and still delivers our largest city a flawed governance model, says Labour Leader Phil Goff... “But much-needed progress has sadly been compromised by bad decisions, poor process - including a sham consultation process - and a lack of vision.” More>>

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New Candidate: Len Brown's Inclusive Message

Hundreds Pack Out Sorrentos At Auckland Mayoralty Launch - Manukau Mayor Len Brown on Sunday announced his candidacy for the mayoralty of the new Auckland council at next year’s local body elections, saying the new Auckland council needs a unifying mayor to bring the region together. (File Image courtesy of Pacific Media Centre's Del Abcede.) More >>

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Legislation: Labour Tables Amendment To Guarantee Maori Seats

Labour’s Maori caucus today tabled an amendment guaranteeing Maori seats on the new Auckland council, says Labour’s Maori Affairs spokesperson Parekura Horomia. More >>

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Auckland: More Than One Rodney Under Attack?

Rumours that the Government has made a secret decision to carve off about a quarter of Auckland and put it in Kaipara and Northland have alarmed the Auckland Regional Council (ARC). More >>

Super City: Cabinet Sides With Hide On Maori Seats

The decision by Cabinet today to confirm its earlier April “fast 10 day post Royal Commission decision” against having Maori seats on the new Auckland Council means the new city will start life with a fight on its hands, undermining the unity so fundamental to its future success and setting it up to fail, North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said today. More >>

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Gordon Campbell: Rodney Hide's Super City Ultimatum To The Government

As Rodney Hide crawls out onto the ledge and threatens to resign all of his ministerial posts if the Auckland Supercity Council is allowed to include dedicated Maori seats, an anxious nation gathers in the street below with only one thought on its mind - jump, jump, jump. More >>
Also: Afghanistan - Lockerbie

Super City: Hide Threatens To Resign If Maori Seats Included; Turia Doesn't Threaten To If Not Tariana Turia disputes the claim on 3 News tonight that a decision has already been made on Maori seats on the Auckland supercity... “Like National and Act we want the process to be fair, but we each have our own views on how that should be achieved.” More >>

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Surveys: Support For "Big" Super-City

26% of Aucklanders want the new Super City council to be responsible only for core services... 67% prefer the alternate option of the Super City council also providing services such as pensioner housing, cultural festivals and initiatives to protect the environment. More >>

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Auckland: Human Rights Commission Calls For 12 Week Bill Consultation

The Human Rights Commission has called for a doubling to 12 weeks of the public submission period on further elements of the Super City legislation. More >>

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Super City: Labour Accuses Government Of Listening

The National Government’s super city plan is slowly unravelling, with the Government now being forced to accept the new super city's local councils must have full powers and resources instead of the talk shops they said was all that was needed to deliver local democracy, Labour's Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford says. More >>

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Auckland: Councils Prepare Submissions

The North Shore City Council, at its June Council meeting, has tonight signed off its submission to the Select Committee on Auckland Governance in response to the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill. More >>

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Scoop Audio: PM Downplays Toxicity Of Auckland

PM's Presser 25/05/09: Prime Minister John Key said Maori representation in a future Auckland Super City had not become a “toxic issue”, in spite of the large Hikoi criticising his decision to block a proposal for Maori seats on the council. More >>


Francis Martin - Photo Essay: Hikoi Over Maori Representation In Ak
See also:
Out-Link - Public Address: The Happy Hikoi

Hikoi: "It’s Not About Race, It’s About Rights"

The slogan for today’s Hikoi “It’s not about race, it’s about rights” sums up much of what the super city debate is all about says North Shore City Mayor Andrew Williams. Mayor Williams and five of his North Shore councillors attended the huge turnout in Queen Street ... (image: TV3 News) More >>

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Auckland: Hide Announces Auckland Transition Agency

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide today announced that Mark Ford would chair the Auckland Transition Agency (ATA). The Agency will manage the transition from the existing seven territorial authorities and one regional council, to a single unitary authority for Auckland and 20 to 30 Local Boards. More >>

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Dissent: Rodney Plans To Hide From Amalgamation

At today’s Council meeting, Rodney District Council resolved to investigate the option to become a unitary authority and for the outcome of these investigations to form a basis for the Council’s submission to the Select Committee considering the Local Government (Auckland) Bill. More >>

Auckland: Brownlee Names National Members Of Select Committee

“I am pleased to say National will be supporting the Hon John Carter to become the committee chairman,” said Leader of the House Gerry Brownlee. “Other National MPs to sit on the committee are: Hon Tau Henare, Dr Jackie Blue, Nikki Kaye, and Simon Bridges,” said Mr Brownlee. More >>

ALSO:

  • Maori Party - No need for Aucklanders to fear Maori seats
  • Maori Party - Flavell supports Rotorua carkoi to Auckland
  • Auckland City Council - Hikoi will cause delays to traffic
  • ARTA - ARTA prepared for this Monday’s protest action
  • Community Coalition for Auckland - Government called on to live up to ‘fine words’

    • Transition Board Delay: "Government Running Scared On Super City"

    The Cabinet appears to have blocked Rodney Hide’s proposed appointments to the Auckland Council transition agency as it suffers an attack of nerves over its plans, says Labour’s Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. More >>

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    Rosalea Barker: Will Greater Auckland stop Auckland being the greatest?

    Take that, Aussies! This week, Mercer, a company specializing in staff relocation HR issues, released its report on the top cities in the world for Quality of Living. Auckland is number 4, tied with Vancouver. Sydney comes in at 10, Wellington is 12, ... More >>

    Auckland Bills Pass: Brownlee Decries Expense Of Having Opposition

    Leader of the House, Gerry Brownlee, says the dwindling numbers on the Labour benches today [Saturday] only makes their time-wasting tactics more absurd... “It has meant a huge cost to the taxpayer, and when it suited them the Labour MP’s started to cut and run,” said Leader of the House, Gerry Brownlee. More >>

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    Scoop Satire: The Super-City

    A Political Map Of Present-Day Auckland: Faster than an ELECTORAL FINANCE ACT! able to leap DUE PROCESS in a single bound with his THREADBARE cloak of JUSTIFICATION (the torn REMAINS of the ROYAL COMMISSION recommendations)! More >>

    Legislation: One-Auckland Train On Track

    It’s a sad day for New Zealand’s communities when the Prime Minister John Key fails to honour a pre-election promise to consult with Aucklanders once the Royal Commission’s report was out... “Instead, the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill has been passed under urgency without the voice of the people,” says Su’a William Sio. More >>

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    Greater Auckland: Government Bill A "Coup D'État"

    A Bill being passed under urgency today establishes an Auckland Transition Agency with draconian powers over the people of Auckland, accountable only to Rodney Hide. "The intrusion is excessive, with control extending to what Councillors, Board Members and employees are allowed to discuss at meetings," Dr Russel Norman, Green Party Co-Leader said. More >>

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    Supra City: "Government Must Release Auckland Bills Now"

    Labour is calling on the Government to release today the two Auckland governance bills it plans to ram through under urgency this week, says its Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford. More >>

    ALSO:

    Auckland: Legislative Programme Announced

    Local Government Minister Rodney Hide is calling for New Zealanders to contribute their views on the future of Auckland governance through select committee hearings to be held in Auckland over the next few months. More >>

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    Super City: Auckland Divided Over Unity

    John Banks is the clear front runner for the Mayoralty of the Auckland Super City. In a crowded field of media identified possibilities he emerges as top choice with 17% support, followed by Bob Harvey on 10% and Stephen Tindall on 9%... Aucklanders are fairly evenly divided on the Super City concept with 45% in favour and 43% against. More >>

    ALSO:

    Auckland: Paintings Arbitrarily Put Together To Form Super Painting

    A visual narrative of Auckland, covering the time of the early European settlers until recently, is captured in a landmark art exhibition at Jonathan Grant Galleries in Parnell. More >>

    Collective Responsibility: Maori Affairs Minister Opposes Government Decision

    The Minister of Maori Affairs has dissociated himself from Cabinet decisions on local government reorganisation in Auckland, saying it is not good enough that tangata whenua, plus the largest Maori population in the world, will have no guaranteed voice. More >>

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    Auckland Announcement: "Representation Guaranteed", Referendum Not So Much

    Local Government Minister Hon Rodney Hide said today the Government’s decisions on the governance of Auckland would provide effective representation for all Aucklanders. Speaking at the release of the Government’s high-level decisions on Auckland governance, Mr Hide highlighted the decision to establish 20 to 30 Community Boards across the region, each of which would be named after its local community. More >>

    ALSO:

    Gordon Campbell: The Pre-ordained Demise Of Auckland

    Barely five months into the Key administration, the centre right is plainly making far more effective use of its ideological bedmates than Labour ever did with the Alliance, or the Greens. Rodney Hide is not even in Cabinet. Fewer than four per cent of voters voted for Act’s agenda at the last election. Yet who is getting the bulk of his agenda enacted? The government’s ideological outrider, the man from Epsom. More >>

    Government Announcement Due 7/4:

    Democracy: Council's Joint Challenge To Govt Over Governance Report

    Yesterday six Auckland councils, including their mayors, met to share their real concerns over the Royal Commission recommendations, and to provide some constructive feedback to Government prior to the Cabinet meeting this Monday. They were North ... More >>

    ALSO:

    April 1: Newmarket Pushes To Become A Republic

    Auckland’s leading retailing district is petitioning the Government to be removed from any Super City structure. “Overall we are very supportive of a Super City for Auckland, but after surveying our businesses it’s overwhelmingly clear that they want Newmarket to be constitutionally independent,” says Cameron Brewer, head of the Newmarket Business Association. More >>

    ALSO:

    Gordon Campbell: The Rush To Impose The ‘Super City’ Proposal On Auckland

    So Cabinet will have reached a decision by April 6th about the Royal Commission’s Auckland “Super City” proposal... Now hold your horses. Set up a Royal Commission. Get its key proposal. Put it to the public in a referendum to let them decide. Isn’t that the way it should be done? More >>

    ALSO:

    Cartoon comment from Martin Doyle: Rodney and the Super City

    Local Government: Royal Commission Report Calls For 'Super City'

    Local Government Minister Rodney Hide today [Friday 27/3/09] released the Report of the Royal Commission into Auckland Governance. "This is an important matter for Auckland. And it is vital for New Zealand." He said the Government wants to make Auckland the most exciting, vibrant metropolitan centre in Australasia... More >>

    ALSO:

    Wellington.Scoop: The Argument Against “Supercity Wellington”

    Some of our local civic leaders have, not surprisingly, jumped on the ‘Supercity Auckland’ bandwagon. If Auckland, they say, why not Wellington? Anyone with a concern for democracy in local government should be afraid, very afraid. More >>

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