Simeon Brown, Minister for Auckland. Mark Mitchell
Simeon Brown, Minister for Auckland. Mark Mitchell
Opinion by Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas is Managing Director of urban technology company Serviceworks.
THREE KEY FACTS:
Auckland Council has established a $1.3 billion Future Fund to reduce reliance on rates for infrastructure.
A New Auckland Agenda is needed, focusing on a long-term strategy with measurable targets for growth.
Despite significant investment, Aucklanders remain dissatisfied, citing concerns about crime, transport, and housing affordability.
Over the past year, positive steps have been taken. Auckland Council has established a $1.3 billion Auckland Future Fund to reduce reliance on rates to fund infrastructure. Work on a new Integrated Transport Plan between the government and Auckland Council was agreed and Watercare’s financial sustainability wasstrengthened through a new joint government/council agreement.
Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown has signalled stronger collaboration between central and local government. Similarly, Housing, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister Chris Bishop has outlined urban development and transport priorities for Auckland. These statements and initiatives are welcome, but they do not yet meet the scale of the challenge or of the opportunity.
Individual initiatives, usually portfolio-driven, are what both central and local players have bought to the Auckland project in the last 15 years. We know now that, no matter how significant they individually are, they are likely to continue to be inadequate. Because over the last 15 years no such similar projects have helped Auckland move ahead relative to its competition.
For Auckland to move forward, a New Auckland Agenda is needed. This must be a structured, long-term strategy, developed in partnership with Auckland Council, that clearly defines the roles of local and central government. It must set measurable targets for economic growth, transport, housing, and infrastructure. It should establish a coordinated approach to securing funding and execution timelines and move beyond fragmented, portfolio-driven decisions to an integrated, outcome-focused plan.
The Regional Deal: A Starting Point
Auckland’s Regional Deal proposal, approved by Auckland Council in February, provides a strong framework for discussion with the government. It identifies five key priorities: housing, transport, innovation, tourism and environment.
Internationally, Regional Deals have proven effective in the UK and Australia over the last 15 years. There is a wealth of evidence on what is needed to ensure they are effectively implemented, including that they be actionable, jointly committed to, appropriately resourced, and well monitored However, the New Zealand Government has only committed to initiating three deals by 2026, while all 78 councils were invited to apply. In contrast, the UK launched eight deals in its first year alone. Given the scale of Auckland’s economic contribution, the government must match this level of ambition.
Simeon Brown, as Minister for Auckland and as a senior cabinet minister, has the potential to be a powerful direction setter for an Auckland agenda. However, to drive meaningful change, government structures must be reformed.
The six-monthly Cabinet reporting introduced by the Minister is a positive start, but it focuses on identifying conflicts and reporting on workstreams, rather than setting a clear Auckland strategy.
This does not contemplate the need for a plan for Auckland that the government would want to prioritise and act on in partnership with Auckland Council. However, a new joint plan, the New Auckland Agenda, is essential, and to give effect to this, the Minister needs more assistance within government. Usefully a plan does exist to assist with this.
Auckland’s former CEO, Doug McKay, raised these issues a decade ago in a 2014 report to government, calling for stronger Auckland leadership within central government.
He said better system-wide oversight of government activity in Auckland was required and the Auckland Policy Office (APO) should be revitalised to coordinate policy and investment.
The 2023 Auditor-General’s report echoed similar concerns, criticising government agencies for failing to provide a clear picture of their spending and activities in Auckland. This lack of co-ordination must be fixed.
The Auckland’s Policy Office plays an important role guiding central government agencies of Auckland-specific policy developments and responses.
To more fully support the Auckland Agenda, both the government and council need the office to have a stronger mandate and be empowered as an advisory and coordination body ensuring Auckland-specific considerations are better considered, embedded in policy and reported on efficiently.
A refreshed approach to McKay’s recommendations could help resolve longstanding ineffectiveness and inefficiencies within government/Auckland activity, and ensure Auckland gets the focus required.
A Cabinet-Level Auckland Sub-Committee
The Minister for Auckland needs to play a more central role.
The Prime Minister could assist by establishing a Cabinet sub-committee chaired by the Minister for Auckland alongside key ministers in the areas of infrastructure, housing, transport, education, innovation, climate change and of course finance.
Additional economic development, trade, immigration, and Māori development ministers should also be involved as needed. This would ensure regular engagement with Auckland Council’s Mayor and senior leaders, greater alignment of decision-making with Auckland’s needs and stronger leadership to drive progress across government.
A New Auckland Agenda
Auckland Council will soon reach adulthood and will require a different strategy and approach to what was needed in its formative years. A New Auckland Agenda must be bold, coordinated, and outcome driven. A New Auckland Agenda can provide that direction and structure for the city’s next decade, providing a clear framework for Auckland’s next decade of growth.
Committee for Auckland Directors with Chris Bishop: Simon Vannini, Andrea Rickard (Managing Director, Beca New Zealand), Hon Chris Bishop, Mark Thomas.
A Regional Deal can serve as the foundation, while the Minister for Auckland and the Auckland Policy Office are already in place to be strengthened and empowered to collaborate with council in shaping the agenda. However, this can only succeed with strong leadership, clear priorities, and a firm commitment to delivery. If Auckland thrives, New Zealand thrives. The time for a New Auckland Agenda is now.
Mark Thomas is Managing Director of urban technology company Serviceworks. He is a Regional Director of the Smart Cities Council and a Director of the Committee for Auckland.
Aucklanders unhappy with quality of life
Auckland Council turns 15 years old this year, and since its creation, billions have been invested in the city’s infrastructure.
The $6 billion City Rail Link and the $1.2b Central Interceptor are just two of the more significant projects initiated since 2010.
While both promise major long-term benefits, they have also caused significant disruption and are yet to deliver their full potential.
Beyond these major initiatives, Auckland has seen billions invested in transport projects, including the $1.4b Waterview Tunnel, as well as more than 160,000 new dwellings consented.
Community infrastructure projects such as the $31 million Tōia Ōtāhuhu Recreation Precinct and the $19m Albany Pool have also been delivered.
However, despite this considerable investment, Aucklanders remain dissatisfied.
The latest Quality of Life survey found that only 72% of residents rate Auckland as a good or great place to live — well below the satisfaction levels of its peer cities.
Concerns about crime, transport, and housing affordability dominate public sentiment.
Additionally, only 57% of Aucklanders think the city has a positive look and feel. Only 33% believe public transport is reliable and affordable and only 31% believe housing is affordable. 81% think congestion is a problem and 67% consider crime a major issue.
Auckland’s economic performance also lags.
The 2023 State of the City benchmarking report, produced by the Committee for Auckland alongside Deloitte and Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, found that Auckland ranks only mid-tier among peer cities, and its position declined in 2024.
GDP per capita growth continues to trail other cities and productivity levels remain below the OECD average. Congestion costs the region $1.3b per year and housing affordability remains among the worst in the world relative to incomes.
This is important not just for Auckland.
Holding nearly 40% of New Zealand’s GDP, Auckland has the highest concentration of tech businesses in the country.
In a globally competitive world, even incremental improvements in Auckland’s productivity can drive outsized gains for New Zealand as a whole.
Conversely, its continued underperformance is an economic handbrake on the nation.
Auckland continues to have key strengths: it remains overwhelmingly New Zealand’s largest and most diverse economic hub, has a strong sustainability profile, a resilient services sector, and solid global connectivity. The challenge is to leverage these advantages while addressing barriers to growth and productivity — as our peer cities are accelerating.
The city still lacks the resources, authority, and investment to shape its own future, and central governments have failed to deliver the action required to break this cycle. Without bold, co-ordinated action, the city risks stagnation, holding back not just itself, but the entire country.
