Of course, I was sorry her rates are rising but that seems always the way. Just last week former Aucklanders were in the news complaining that their rates in Pokeno had gone higher than in Auckland. And they have no library or bus route.
I'm afraid rate hikes seem a forever-thing. We keep voting for politicians who promise things and those things cost money which means higher rates. Rates will only come down if we elect politicians promising less, not more. That's not been the case for years. The fault is with us.
Central government politicians must also shoulder some of the blame. They keep making councils do more and more. I counted 108 things the new Auckland Council must do because central government says so. And every one of those things costs. Big time.
And the number of things that councils must do goes up every year. The Government looks good promising this and promising that but it's ratepayers who must pay and mayors and councillors who must bear the flak.
We get what we vote for with government and that's ever more spending. I am truly sorry for that.
But it's that nothing has changed with the "Super City" that made me smile. The Port hasn't been sold to people with foreign-sounding names and shipped to China. The rubbish hasn't piled up in the street. The libraries haven't closed.
Having one mayor and one council has made a huge difference for transport and other infrastructure developments but also for schools, policing, health care and, well, everything that central and local government does.
That was supposedly all to happen and worse as we shifted Auckland from eight councils to one. Those were the claims of the opposition at the time. And they were the headlines. It was fearmongering nonsense and to ratepayers and residents -- five years on -- nothing much appears to have changed.
That's good.
The changes are all "under the hood". We had eight councils trying to run Auckland. It was a nightmare. Roading projects were constantly stymied through political gamesmanship. Maintenance and repairs would go to a council boundary -- and stop.
The major infrastructure works that Auckland needed couldn't happen.
All that's now different. It's still not easy but with one mayor, one council, and one plan, the impossible has become possible and, indeed, is happening.
A big change is that central government can now talk to Auckland council and get answers. That previously was not possible. The failure of Auckland's mayors and councils ever to agree meant nothing much happened.
Infrastructure development in Auckland was forever stalled.
Having one mayor and one council has made a huge difference for transport and other infrastructure developments but also for schools, policing, health care and, well, everything that central and local government does.
There are other benefits.
The bylaws are now consistent across the city. That makes doing business across the region easier. It's also fairer. There were 44 different water tariffs. Now there is one.
The service is better too. In ways you don't necessarily notice but do care about.
I was shocked to discover most of the local water treatment plants were producing water that did not comply with the Ministry of Health's standards. In Franklin alone, Watercare has now invested $116 million to transform the area's water supply and to ensure a safe and reliable water supply.
The job of getting to a single council was a big one but the truth is I didn't do much.
Previously, much of Auckland's water was not safe. Now it is.
These are changes well worth having. They are things you don't notice when they work but you do when they don't.
The job of getting to a single council was a big one but the truth is I didn't do much.
Helen Clark had started the process with a Royal Commission of Inquiry that followed on from exasperation that the mayors of Auckland couldn't agree on where to site a new stadium to be paid for entirely by taxpayers. The Commission reported and John Key agreed to establish one council as recommended.
The Government didn't follow exactly the Commissioners' recommendations because the Commissioners held back on recommending the ideal structure, thinking it would not be politically acceptable. The new Key-led Government figured if we were going to do the job we should do it properly. And we did.
My role was simply to support the transition team led by the late Mark Ford. I have no doubt that without Ford it would have been a disaster. His leadership of Watercare and then of the transition is a huge legacy and Auckland is forever in his debt.
We didn't just push eight councils together. We disestablished eight councils and built a new one. Nothing like it has ever been attempted in Australia or New Zealand.
And we did it fast. The job was done in less than 18 months.
It was high-risk. I remember at the ceremony swearing in the first mayor and council having my fingers crossed that the new computer system to be switched on at midnight would work. There was no contingency plan.
As it was no parking tickets could be issued for two weeks. No one noticed. We had a team working around the clock to get the first payroll and the final names were entered just as the pay fell due. It would have been a bad look if no one had been paid.
Critical decisions can turn on the vote of Maori Statutory Board members who themselves aren't democratically accountable.
An entirely new structure was up and running. Ten thousand people had new jobs, less two thousand managers who were redundant to the new structure.
The transition was largely seamless. Council staff were amazing. Even those doubtful of the new structure got stuck in to make sure it worked and that the rubbish was picked up. Those who lost their jobs worked up to their last day to ensure the best result for Auckland. The commitment to the task was huge.
We left much still to be done. The first mayor, Len Brown, and his councillors and the first two CEOs, Doug McKay and Stephen Town, have been outstanding in completing the job and establishing the new politics and new culture the new structure demanded.
And so I smiled when my former constituent complained that nothing had changed with the new "Supercity". Without Mark Ford and his team -- and a very dedicated and committed workforce -- it would have been a disaster. Instead it worked and now works well. Projects that would never happen are now under way.
I am especially proud of the Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs). They were controversial but have proved their worth in getting good people running critical organisations who would not otherwise be attracted to council work. They have enabled the council to focus on governance and strategic direction and not get bogged down in management.
Two areas need consideration in my view. There are too many local boards. Twenty-one is too many to service and for the council and CCOs to consult. I don't know the right number but a rationalisation is in order. A bigger jurisdiction would make them less local but the advantage would be in their say counting for more.
The Maori Statutory Board is a mistake. It's a recipe for division and poor governance. The people running government should be elected, or appointed by those who are.
Critical decisions can turn on the vote of Maori Statutory Board members who themselves aren't democratically accountable. The members of the Board are appointed by a Mana Whenua selection body. That's wrong.
The Maori Statutory Board was the only decision in delivering the new Super City where short-term political interest overruled what was best for Auckland's future. I am deeply embarrassed by that failure.
Apart from that, Auckland now has one mayor and one council able to get on and provide for Auckland without endless political stalemate. Auckland's future is in Auckland's hands. And that's precisely where it should be.
