Ballet and rugby under one roof

The Auckland Museum. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Dozens of directors who run Auckland's cultural and sporting facilities look set to be dumped by the Government for a handful of directors to control everything from ballet in the Aotea Centre to rugby fixtures at North Harbour Stadium.

The agency designing the Super City is working on winding up 16 major arts and other regional facilities to create a single major regional facilities council-controlled organisation for the Super City.

The new CCO, with a board of about eight directors, will be responsible for most of Auckland's iconic facilities, such as Auckland Museum, Auckland Zoo and Motat, cultural facilities like The Edge and Bruce Mason Centre, and major stadiums, including Mt Smart and North Harbour.

The directors will need to make calls on risky musicals, decide on a new herd of elephants at Auckland Zoo, deal with the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium and manage controversial museum director Vanda Vitali.

Prime Minister John Key and Local Government Minister Rodney Hide have been scathing of the number and duplication of the existing council-controlled organisations in Auckland.

Instructions have gone out to the Auckland Transitional Authority to trim the existing 34 CCOs. The Government has legislated for three CCOs - for water, transport and waterfront development. The agency has recommended four more, including a CCO for major regional facilities.

In a discussion paper, the authority said this CCO would focus on making better use of Auckland's major venues and attractions and have a single clear purpose to achieve a high level of co-ordination.

The authority looked at separate CCOs for cultural and venue facilities, but rejected this because they competed against one another for events, such as conferences, concerts and celebrations.

The discussion paper has pointed out that some CCOs, such as Auckland Museum and Motat, have been established by legislation that would need amending to come under the major regional facilities CCO.

Last night, a spokesman for the agency said the process for deciding which CCOs would continue and which would be abolished was under active consideration.

"We are inviting comment from organisations and individuals on the structures, entities, assets and activities defined in respect of individual CCOs.

"When that process is complete, recommendations will be incorporated in a Cabinet paper. Final decisions on CCOs will be made by the Cabinet," the spokesman said.

Writing in yesterday's Herald, Mr Hide said streamlining and simplification was the whole point behind the Super City.

He said there were more than 300 council-owned or council-funded entities with some kind of corporate or business-like structure spread over the existing eight councils in Auckland.

The Auckland Transitional Authority yesterday supplied the Herald with a list of 34 CCO or similar models currently active in Auckland.

AUCKLAND'S CCOs

AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL
Metrowater, Westhaven Marinas (includes Downtown Marinas Westhaven Trust, Westhaven Existing Marina Trust), Westhaven (Marina Extension) Trust, Tourism Auckland and The Edge.

MANUKAU CITY COUNCIL
Manukau Water, Enterprise Manukau, Tomorrow's Manukau Properties, Manukau City Investments, Manukau Leisure Services and Manukau Building Consents.

WAITAKERE CITY COUNCIL
Waitakere Enterprise Trust, Waitakere City Holdings, Waitakere Properties, Waitakere Trusts Stadium and North West Auckland Airport (with North Shore and Rodney councils).

NORTH SHORE CITY COUNCIL
Enterprise North Shore, Bruce Mason Theatre, North Shore Domain and North Harbour Stadium Trust Board, North Shore Events Centre, North West Auckland Airport Ltd (with Waitakere and Rodney councils), Northern Animal Shelter (with Rodney council), North Shore City Holdings.

AUCKLAND REGIONAL COUNCIL
Auckland Regional Transport Authority, Auckland Regional Holdings and Sea + City Projects.

REGIONAL
Watercare Services, Auckland War Memorial Museum, National Maritime Museum, Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust Board, and Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Board.

RODNEY DISTRICT COUNCIL
Rodney Economic Development Trust, Northern Animal Shelter (with North Shore council) and Rodney Properties Ltd.

FRANKLIN DISTRICT COUNCIL
Enterprise Franklin Development Trust; Franklin Arts Culture and Library Trust.

PAPAKURA DISTRICT COUNCIL
No CCOs.

CCOS FOR THE AXE?
Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland Zoo, The Edge, Auckland Museum, Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland Observatory and Planetarium, Maritime Museum, North Harbour Stadium, North Shore Events Centre, Bruce Mason Theatre and Waitakere Trusts Stadium.