Banks hails new Super City structure – Labour opposes

A detail from the map showing the Super City's 12 wards. Image / Supplied.

Auckland Mayor John Banks says the city's new local government structure is "an inspired piece of work" while the Labour Party is committed to opposing it and the boundaries that go with it.

Mr Banks, who is going to stand for mayor of the new super city, said the proposition was coming together well and people would not lose their representation.

Manukau Mayor Len Brown, who is going to stand against Mr Banks, said he was pleased the commission had taken account of concerns about Auckland's assets.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said the new structure was "a good first step" which provided a workable basis for further discussion.

But Labour's Auckland issues spokesman, Phil Twyford, said the commission had been hamstrung by bad government decisions.

"The proposed boundaries favour rural and the conservative northern and southern areas of Auckland while disadvantaging the isthmus and West Auckland," he said.

"For example, the changes would give Rodney residents a third more voting power than a central Auckland resident, which is clearly unjust."

Mr Twyford said Labour would strongly oppose the boundaries and the structure.

The commission recommends the establishment of 19 local boards, with five to nine members, a total of 126 board members.

Click here for the full proposal

Each councillor would represent between 53,590 and 88,000 people.

Local Government Commission chair Sue Piper said: "Local boards are the glue in the engagement between local communities with council and council with local communities."

Members of the public have until 5pm on Friday December 11 to submit feedback on the commission's proposals.

Ms Piper said the tight timeframe was because all arrangements had to be finalised by March next year to prepare for local elections in October.

Commissioner Gwen Bull said the proposals had been "reasonably well received," but weren't "exactly right" and the feedback process would help.

The commission used existing names in the majority of areas but some new names have also been proposed.

The new boundaries stretch from Te Arai Point in the north to Waiuku in the south.

The boundary changes followed as closely as possible the existing southern boundary of Auckland region, Ms Piper said.

However it would take in some urban areas in Waikato which were:

* The part of the Waiuku urban area and adjacent future growth areas;
* parts of Pukekohe;
* the adjacent area of Buckland;
* the area to the east of Pukekohe, north of Mill road.

The commission recommended the Waikato District Council and new Auckland Council allow residents north of the river to access appropriate services through Auckland Council offices in Pukekohe.

The Mangatawhiri and Mangatangi catchments would as much as possible be included in the Waikato Region and Waikato District.

The part of Franklin District between the Mangatangi Stream catchment and the Firth of Thames would be included in Waikato Region and either Hauraki District or Waikato District.

Ms Piper said the Waikato District Council, the Franklin District Council and the Auckland Transition Agency needed to immediately start discussing the proposals.

Wards:
Rodney
Hibiscus-Albany- East Coast Bays
North Shore
Waitakere
Whau (New Lynn- Avondale)
Mt Albert-Mt Roskill
Maungawhau- Hauraki Gulf (Auckland Central)
Orakei-Maungakiekie
Manukau
Papakura-Manurewa
Howick-Pakuranga-Botany
Franklin

Under the commission's proposals, Otahuhu would be included in the Orakei ward, which includes Mission Bay, St Heliers and Ellerslie.

Ms Piper said Otahuhu "rests better in the north" than in the south.

"There has been debate for a long time but we had to balance fair representation," she said.

She said perceptions of Otahuhu have changed over the last 20 years.

It has been proposed that the area covered by the Waitakere Council be split into two wards - Waitakere and Whau.

The commission said there was debate over whether to keep a large Waitakere ward with three councillors but it thought a "two plus one" system would provide more efficient representation than a larger ward with three councillors.

Mr Kirk said there are more than 150,000 people in an area which covers a wide geographical distance. The Waitakere City Council's June Submission on Local Government to the select committee was to have one large ward with three councillors.

Under the proposals, the boundary between the two wards would run along West Coast and Pleasant Roads, with Kelston retained in the Whau ward and Glendene in the Waitakere ward.

The eastern border with the Mt Albert-Mt Roskill ward would keep the Waterview, New Windsor and Blockhouse Bay suburbs within the Whau ward.

Some parts of the existing Rodney district would to become part of the Hibiscus-Albany- East Coast Bays ward.

The area from Waiwera in the north to Stillwater in the south - which includes Whangaparoa - would become the northern sector of the Hibiscus-Albany- East Coast Bays ward.

- NZHERALD STAFF with NZPA