25 February 2010        Media Statement        

New city needs strong democracy to cope with two million Kiwis 

The need for the Auckland super city to have a genuine working democracy in place is reinforced by Statistics New Zealand’s projection that 38 percent of Kiwis could live there by 2031, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford.

“The people who live in this city, and the hundreds of thousands who will live here over the next 20 years, need to have a real say in their future, but the way National and ACT are ramming through their version of a super city, a narrow and influential elite will determine how Auckland develops,” Phil Twyford said.

“Auckland already faces great infrastructure, economic, social and environmental challenges, and these are bound to increase as the city grows so rapidly.

“That’s why it’s so important that the people who have most stake in the new city have governance structures that serve them. It’s vital that we have a local democracy that works for the many and not just the few,” Phil Twyford said.

“Submitters to the Select Committee hearing of public submissions on the third super city bill this week have clearly indicated many people see the super city as jack up that will shut Aucklanders out of local government and run the city as if it is a business.

“Population growth will only make the challenges of infrastructure, economic development and good planning even more urgent. Auckland must be governed in the interests of all Aucklanders, not in the interests of certain parts of town but not others, not in certain economic interests but not in others.”

Phil Twyford said the Statistics NZ projection underlined the huge importance of Auckland in terms of New Zealand’s wider future. “What happens in Auckland has a major influence on the rest of the country. That influence will grow even more in the future. It is crucial that the many, not the few, determine how this happens.”
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