Press Release 21 June 2009

Community Buoyed by Government Assurances on Second Tier

Members of the Howick, Botany & Pakuranga Community were buoyed by assurances from Select Committee Chair John Carter that the government is prepared to consider changes to its Auckland Governance Model.

At a meeting arranged by Manukau City Councillor Michael Williams (Botany-Clevedon) along with Councillors Dick Quax and David Collings (Pakuranga), and Sharon Stewart and Jami Lee-Ross (Howick), the Associate Local Government Minister spoke on the government’s regional amalgamation plans and listened to four proposals put up by the Councillors.

First, the Councillors requested 20 Ward elected councillors rather than 12 to ensure adequate representation of Auckland’s diverse communities. (A reduction in councillors elected at large from 8 to 4 was also suggested)

Second, the Councillors proposed that the functions all local decisions and functions should be undertaken by Local Boards or “Community Councils” as they could be named.

Third, the councillors asked that the number of Local Wards be reduced from 20-30 to a maximum of 20 giving slightly larger Local Boards including an Eastern Community Council to serve Howick, Botany and Pakuranga.

Fourth, the councillors proposed that Local Wards should have the power to propose targeted rates to fund service levels and local priorities beyond a standard funding formula.

Mr Carter assured the meeting that both the Select Committee and the Government would consider the requests and that no firm decision has been made that would preclude the proposals being adopted.

The Community indicated by a show of hands that they would be very comfortable with the modified governance model presented by the Councillors.

Mr Williams says that the audience expressed no negative sentiment at all towards the regional amalgamation plan although there was significant criticism of past high rates, debt and overspending.

Evolving Regional Consensus

“There is an evolving regional consensus around what the second tier should look like” says Cr Williams, referring to a meeting of Mayors and Councillors from across the Auckland region at Manukau on Saturday. “Mayors and Councillors are beginning to see the benefits of regional amalgamation and are considering what changes are required in the detail of the government’s plan. We were pleased to see that the changes being proposed by the other councils bear a remarkable resemblance to our own proposals and I believe that a compromise plan is not far off.”

Time to Stop Fighting the Supercity

“Mayors and Councillors need to stop fighting the Supercity and start working with the government who have expressed a willingness to work together” says Cr Williams.

ENDS

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