Press Release from Hamish Stevens, Chairman, Peoples Choice

Manukau City Council’s Auckland Governance proposal driven by self interest

Peoples Choice is claiming that Manukau City Council’s recently released draft submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance is being driven principally by self interest.

Chairman Hamish Stevens said there is no basis for advocating a three city structure except to maintain the jobs of current council officials and elected councillors. While we are not surprised that ‘turkeys won’t vote for an early Christmas’, it is a shame they were not able to put the common good first.

Mr Stevens said a three city model is just tinkering with the current structure and will fail to reduce the economic waste and duplication of resources across the region. Peoples Choice favours a one city model supported by strengthened Community Boards or Community Councils based on a community of interest.

Mr Stevens said that it is important to ensure communities of interest are able to have common representation so that residents’ aspirations and values can be more effectively promoted.

“For the council to suggest that all of Manukau City is a community of interest is blatant nonsense. Manukau City is an arbitrary administrative region put together in the 1980s and includes communities such as Howick and Mangere that have no more community of interest with each other than Torbay and Papakura. And they certainly don’t share any ‘natural geography’ as claimed by the Council”.

Mr Stevens said the two recent public meetings held in Howick on this matter voted overwhelmingly for the one city model.

“The Council said they were going to consult with residents and yet have decided to go for the option least favoured by the public”

“Why are local residents being ignored ?. Manukau City Council appears to be consulting with themselves rather than the public” said Mr Stevens.

Peoples Choice is a local government ticket that won 13 positions on the Council, Community Boards and the Health Board in Manukau City in 2007. It is the largest elected ticket in Manukau City.

ENDS

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