Councils must run projects past Super City designers

Councils' plans for a library and aquatic centre at Flat Bush, an organic waste collection service for Waitakere and buying land for regional parks must be referred to the agency designing Auckland's Super City.

The Auckland Transition Agency has written to the region's eight councils confirming their 10-year plans, but flagged a number of spending projects that must be referred to the agency for approval before work starts.

The agency has been running "forensics" on councils' new 10-year plans to flag issues that may "prejudice the reorganisation" and help councils to carry on governing Auckland over the next 17 months while the Super City is being set up.

Many of the issues are not surprising - things like building upgrades and new information technology systems.

The agency has also identified a number of specific local projects that may prejudice the Super City or have an impact on its assets or liabilities.

Included are an organic waste collection and processing initiative in Waitakere, a new library and aquatic centre at Flat Bush in Manukau and new park acquisitions by the Auckland Regional Council.

The agency has also flagged the $1.4 billion Auckland-Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative and the $200 million Penlink road link to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

The agency is still waiting for the approval of the North Shore, Papakura and Franklin councils before releasing their lists of flagged projects.

Manukau chief executive Leigh Auton said some the flagged projects were a fair way out and would be a matter for the Super City.

Projects, like a library and aquatic centre for the new town of Flat Bush, were subject to the economic downturn.

He said there was a settling down process between the agency and councils, but saw no problem sitting down and working through issues.

In a letter to councils, the agency said discussions on the 10-year plans raised a number of broader issues that needed addressing during the transition.

They included funding community groups, the recruitment and appointment of council staff, combined purchasing of goods and services and the resolution and limitation of cross-council litigation.

Agency chief executive Rodger Kerr-Newell said councils had been given guidelines for appointing staff. For appointments, the first place was internal secondments and, if not, councils should look at shared roles. If that failed, short or medium-contracts should be considered.

"We don't want to be in a position of making people redundant," he said.

Mr Kerr-Newell said the agency had also extended its legal powers to appoint a new council chief executive to staff at the next two tiers down.