22 May 2009

Hide readies bulldozers for Auckland democracy

The Government has named the membership of the Auckland Transition Agency, who will bulldoze through its changes despite widespread opposition in Auckland, the Green Party said today.

"The group is very well qualified to make rapid change happen, it's just too bad that Aucklanders don't approve of many of those changes," Sue Kedgley, Green Party Local Government Spokesperson said today.

"If we had an open and transparent process, where the people had been consulted, this team would be lauded. Instead, we'll be marching in the streets on Monday.

"I am also marching to protest the fact that these six appointees, along with Rodney Hide, will be running Auckland for the next eighteen months, amalgamating $28 billion of assets into one Super-City, and preparing to get rid of eight democratically elected Councils in November next year, even though they have no mandate to make these far-reaching changes."

Ms Kedgley noted that the Transition Agency had enormous powers to interfere in the workings of existing Councils, and could make decisions with a quorum of just two of its members.

Six Green MPs will march in Monday's Auckland Hikoi to ensure that Maori are represented in the new Auckland Super-City, and to protest the undemocratic way that the Super-City has been imposed on Auckland.

"We must ensure that all voices in Auckland are represented and that the city gets the governance that it wants, not what Wellington seeks to impose," Ms Kedgley said.

ENDS

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