Brian Rudman: Good news for all except John Banks

Auckland Mayor John Banks has missed the bus with his mayoral forum meeting today to oppose Government plans for a new Auckland transport body.

It seems that last Monday, the Cabinet approved Mr Banks' worst nightmare, a stand-alone, ARC-owned transport company.

The new body is to be a core part of the long-awaited Auckland transport plan, to be unveiled on December 12.

It is understood the Government will also announce on the same day a nationwide 5.8 cents a litre petrol tax to pay for extra roading projects.

Also expected is a grant to Auckland for "transport". Its purpose is undefined, but an obvious shopping list item would be new rail rolling stock.

The size of the grant is still being debated, but it has been suggested it might become an annual payment.

The proposed new entity is expected to take over the transport functions of the ARC and of the city councils; Auckland Regional Transport Network Ltd.

The Government is still fine-tuning what functions the new body will perform. Present plans are that it will be governed by a board of directors appointed by the ARC.

Critics, such as Mr Banks, of the ARC's performance with public transport, might find some comfort from the arm's-length linkage proposed between the new company and the ARC.

It is being described as a similar relationship to that between a Crown enterprise and a Government department.

That should alleviate critics' fears of ARC chief executive Jo Brosnahan or chairwoman Gwen Bull being able to pick up the phone and suggest or order the company to take a certain course of action.

The ARC's role will be limited to setting the regional land transport strategy, as it now does, and drawing up a statement of intent for the new body, which will operate under these two charters.

Government officials plan to brief Auckland politicians and bureaucrats on the proposal next week.

A lot of fine tuning and negotiation will be done between the December 12 announcement and February when consultation is to end.

One debating point will be the make-up of the board of directors. The proposal before the Cabinet was for a board that could include politicians and businessmen.

This can be set up under existing legislation. To have a board of expert directors would require special legislation.

One can expect Mayor Banks and the leaders of some other territorial councils to demand the right to appoint some directors.

As Auckland city, for example, owns the Britomart station, and the various councils own the roads the buses travel on, there could be some justification for this claim.

Some senior politicians consider that as huge Government subsidies are going into Auckland passenger transport, the Government should also have a say.

A surprise is that plans to give the new body control over roading seem to have been dropped.

This is a blow to "more roads" lobbyists such as Mr Banks.

One explanation is that the change was made to stop pro-roaders siphoning extra money intended for public transport into roading.



Officials are still working on the details of how the new set-up will work, and on the fate of organisations such as regional banker Infrastructure Auckland and the Regional Transport Network.

One suggestion is that Infrastructure Auckland could become an ARC-owned holding company. The transport network looks like being surplus to requirements.

Before the ARC-phobes start leaping from the Sky Tower in horror, the positive view is that the ARC as they know and hate it is changed considerably by this proposal.

In effect, Jo Brosnahan, who is seen as the villain responsible for everything wrong with Auckland public transport, will lose her day-to-day control. So will the bumbling ARC politicians.

Their only roles will be to set strategy and appoint directors.

These are surely the most positive signs to come out of Wellington as far as Auckland is concerned in years. We can only hope that disgruntled road lobbyists and assorted anti-ARC factionalists don't scuttle the proposals.

Not only is Auckland at long last getting a stand-alone public transport authority, but there is the carrot of long-awaited Government money to get the buses and trains moving.

Whatever the ARC's past sins, the regional model is the obvious way to go. Who in their right minds would prefer the rival model, dominated by sniping, back-biting, patch-protecting mayors.

When the officials from Wellington come knocking next week, those mayors had better be on their best behaviour. Election year is fast approaching.