Future Governance Of Auckland And Rates

Media release     16 April 2009

Statement from David Thornton

Community concerns on Auckland’s future governance are narrowing to a few key issues.

Removal of one tier of local government should mean rates can be held to the rate of inflation.

Concerns about the Governments plan for the future of Auckland Governance seem to be  largely boiling down to just a few key issues.

A public meeting, called by local Residents Association in Birkenhead last night, showed majority support for a new Super Council and up to thirty Local Boards – subject to detail on some key issues.

The proposal to have eight out of the twenty positions on the Auckland Council elected ‘at large’ is proving difficult to accept because of the perceived danger that this number could be elected as a single ‘political’ group with the potential to control the council.
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The preference is for all twenty postions to be elected on a ward basis.

Empowerment of the Local Boards is seen as critical to the success of the new system, with the new powers to be enshrined in the legislation establishing the Boards.

While there is general support for an elected mayor there is some concern that the power of the mayor to appoint committee chairman may be going a step too far.

The main issue of concern is how the Auckland Council will distribute funds throughout the region – in particular the funding level proposed for Local Boards to spend on local projects, and the level of service on core operations when the Auckland Council takes them over.

These concerns are largely in line with the views expressed by a random selection of existing community board members around the region.

Interviewed on TVNZ’s Breakfast programme this morning I expressed the view that, while the government claims that the reforms are not about reducing rates, “The removal of one tier from the existing three-tier system should at least hold rate increases to no more than the rate of inflation”

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