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Building a model of the central business district and parking fees in malls are among the ideas Auckland City councillors Vern Walsh and Penny Sefuiva brought back from a month-long global trip with two officers that cost $85,000.
The two City Vision councillors yesterday released a 14-page report into a tour of world cities to look at arts, culture and recreation, which included 27 recommendations from lessons picked up overseas.
The tour has turned into a huge embarrassment for the council after it was disclosed council rules allowed Mr Walsh and Ms Sefuiva to draw up and approve their own "study tour" without any costings and flew business class on all long-haul flights, while officers Cameron Parr and Mark Vinall sat back in economy on all but one leg to save money. On returning home in May, the councillors voted to raise household rates by an average of 13.4 per cent and pencilled in a 10 per rise next year.
The trip has forced a review of overseas travel, which has climbed towards $150,000 in two years and rocketed past the record of $92,000 held by the previous council for the same period. Chief executive David Rankin is expected to release the review this month.
Mr Walsh and Ms Sefuiva's report makes several generalised findings, such as "Auckland faces a challenge to redevelop its waterfront in a way that makes the most of its location" and is short on new ideas not already mooted or explored in the past.
Among the councillors' recommendations are to "investigate" the construction of a scaled model of the CBD, parking levies in suburban malls to fund public transport and a bed tax to fund international facilities. Other ideas picked up were a system of queue seats at London's National Theatre available at reduced rates on the day of performance and giving priority to pedestrians and public transport users for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
The councillors also returned from overseas in awe at the clear vision and master plans of cities like Barcelona and Berlin and said Auckland's master planning was fragmented and "gives little overall sense of direction or purpose".
"Auckland City would benefit from adopting a far more integrated and strategic approach to master planning at a city strategy and project level," the councillors said.
Councillor Scott Milne said there were good recommendations in the report, such as investigating a bed tax and parking levies in malls, but a lot of the 27 recommendations were "motherhood and apple pie". Others, like advocating to Government for a convention centre, had been going on for years.
He said the report "appears to be padded out for some reason".
Ms Sefuiva disagreed about the padding but acknowledged some recommendations "reinforced" work already being done by council.
The idea for a model of the CBD to offer something tangible for the public to identify with the council's long-term vision drew a mixed response during a discussion at the arts, culture and recreation committee. Councillor Christine Caughey said it was considered by last year's mayoral taskforce on urban design and raised issues on space and cost. Councillor Glenda Fryer had seen a model of Amsterdam and thought it was an "excellent idea" for Auckland.
City Vision leader and deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker said the report would be a real benefit to the city.
