Auckland mayors told to stop fighting ARC transport body plans

By BERNARD ORSMAN


Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says his mayoral colleagues should stop a last-minute push to unpick a new transport body for Auckland.

Continual agitation by Auckland City's John Banks and Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis for a standalone transport body was getting Auckland in the bad books of the Government, Mr Harvey said yesterday.

His two colleagues were "loath to swallow the pill" of the view forming between the Government and the Auckland Mayoral Forum for a new transport body under a stronger ARC. The new body is part of a masterplan for Auckland transport to be revealed by the Government on Friday next week.

"How many more times are Mayors Banks and Curtis going to be told, 'Guys, we don't want to do this'," Mr Harvey said.

The Auckland City Council has called an informal meeting of mayors tomorrow to try to build support for a standalone authority outside the ARC. North Shore City supports a standalone body.

Mr Harvey said he would reluctantly attend the meeting to express his view that "the way forward has been clearly spelled out in neon signs".

Sir Barry said Mr Harvey's comments were confusing because he had personally advocated a transport authority with its own board under a strengthened ARC. The new ARC body would be known as the Greater Auckland Authority and have other regional responsibilities such as economic development and bulk water services.

Sir Barry said the Manukau City Council was holding a special meeting tonight to decide what transport model it would support.

Mr Banks said he was acting with the unanimous support of his council to lobby the Government right up to the very end for what was in the best interests of Auckland.

The transport package was a moving feast and nothing had been "signed and sealed", he said.

Forum chairman and Rodney Mayor John Law did not want to comment on Mr Harvey's view except to say he could understand the last-minute debate on such a big issue.

What's going on

* Auckland's transport package will be released on December 12.

* The package will include plans for a new transport body.

* At present, 18 bodies are involved with planning, financing and implementing transport in Auckland.

* The package is also expected to include funding measures such as higher petrol prices, rates rises and tolls.