Brown said the former National MP’s Cabinet roles in transport and local government, and his understanding of central government relationships, would be crucial to gaining greater democratic oversight in transport.
This month, the Herald revealed Brown’s plans to “dethrone” AT by stripping its mostly unelected board members of powers and putting elected representatives in full control.
“The layers of bureaucracy and management within AT are totally impenetrable to elected politicians. We ask for information and don’t get it. We tell AT through the letter of expectations what they should do, and they often don’t do it. They have made some progress on a few things but there is no sense of urgency.
“The only real power we have is to change the board. But we’ve tried that. It’s not effective because the culture of independence is so deeply embedded,” the mayor said.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Transport Minister Simeon Brown are working on a new governance structure for transport in Auckland.
Williamson is unashamedly pro-car and pro-roads and close to Transport Minister Simeon Brown, who preceded Williamson in the blue-ribbon seat of Pakuranga in 2017.
When the new AT chairman Richard Leggat first addressed councillors in February, Williamson took him to task over his and AT’s emphasis on walking, cycling and public transport, leading to a spat between the pair.
In March this year, Simeon Brown appointed former National Party leader Simon Bridges as the new chairman of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).
It is understood Simeon Brown has agreed to repeal Part 4 of the Local Government (Auckland Council) Act. This part of the act provides the powers and functions of AT, and prohibits the council from exercising them.
The plan is to remove AT’s policymaking and strategy functions, leaving it as a delivery agency for public transport.
The regional transport committee (RTC), the strategy-setting body comprising the AT board and a KiwiRail representative, will be restructured to comprise councillors and representatives from KiwiRail and NZTA, sources said.
Simeon Brown may play a part in appointments to the RTC.
In a speech this month, he said the Government played a critical role in Auckland’s transport network and needed to get more value for money from its huge investment in local roads, the rail network, City Rail Link, and planned Roads of National Significance.
“The mayor and I have a work programme underway, and we are currently seeking advice on the key issues around accountability, decision-making roles and responsibilities, and making sure that there is a co-ordinated approach when it comes to making those decisions,” he said.
Councillor Angela Dalton is set to chair a new community committee.
The council’s governing body is expected tomorrow to approve Wayne Brown’s proposal to replace councillor Andy Baker with Williamson as one of two councillors on the AT board.
The other councillor, Chris Darby, will remain on the board.
As part of a review of the committee structure, Baker will become chair of the transport, resilience and infrastructure committee, replacing councillor John Watson, who has chaired the soon-to-be-renamed transport and infrastructure committee.
Brown is also creating two smaller committees, a parks committee chaired by councillor Ken Turner and a community committee chaired by councillor Angela Dalton.
Bernard Orsman is an award-winning reporter who has been covering Auckland’s local politics and transport since 1998. Before that, he worked in the parliamentary press gallery for six years.
