KEY POINTS:
As votes begin to dribble in - at a rather slower pace than three years ago - it appears ordinary Aucklanders don't share either the apocalyptic view of Auckland governance held by many business and political leaders, or their urgent desire for reform.
In recent times the business and political elites have worked themselves into a great lather predicting the imminent collapse of greater Auckland. Their clamour for urgent local government reform has led to both the just-completed rates review and the decision to set up a Royal Commission into Auckland governance.
But little of this doom and despondency seems to have filtered through to the common herd. The recent election-related Herald-Digipoll surveys across the region indicate citizens rate the performance of city councils rather well. The most loving citizens were in Manukau City, where 84.4 per cent said their council did a good to excellent job. Waitakere City was close behind with 82.8 per cent. North Shore City got a slightly less enthusiastic thumbs up with 68.9 per cent support and Auckland City was just behind them on 66.5 per cent.
A Waitakere council spin doctor tried to burnish these figures even more by suggesting such approval ratings tend to take a dive during election time, because of all the negative slanging associated with a political campaign. He might be right, but even Auckland City's 66.5 per cent hardly suggests a system in crisis.
But before the One-City lobbyists rush off to slit their wrists, the news is not all bad. Just because voters don't seem to have taken to heart their doom-laden prognosis of the region's health, it doesn't mean our minds are necessarily closed to reform. In fact a majority of voters in the four main cities go along with the business lobbyists' view that the eight councils in the Auckland region (four cities, three districts and one regional) should be replaced by one greater Auckland council. Biggest support comes in Auckland City with 61.4 per cent for and 29.7 per cent against followed closely by North Shore, with 58.5 per cent saying yes and 41.5 per cent no.
There's less support on the fringes, with the split in Manukau City being 53.7 per cent to 46.3 per cent in favour, while in Waitakere the majority is a paper-thin 50.7 per cent yes and 49.3 per cent against.
The figures suggest Aucklanders as a whole are a lot less parochial on this than the mayors and local politicians we elect. As with the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Bill, where the strong opposition from mayors and politicians - Auckland City excepted - runs counter to the wishes of their electors, the idea of some sort of super city structure doesn't appear to alarm a majority of Aucklanders. It's not an election issue, but it would be encouraging to think that whoever is returned takes the open-mindedness of the rest of us on this issue into account when the Royal Commission finally cranks into action.
As for new sources of funding, Aucklanders are remarkably negative to the idea of taking on more debt, with between 60 per cent (Auckland City) and 70 per cent (North Shore) opposed to further borrowing. However, there's universal support for Crown-owned property such as schools and hospitals losing their rate exemption status - 79 per cent in Auckland City and Manukau, 75.8 per cent in Waitakere and 69.4 per cent in North Shore.
Perhaps reflecting the swing to the right reflected in national politics, there's large support for more user charges, with 64-66 per cent in Auckland, Waitakere and North Shore and 59.4 per cent support in Manukau City.
The slow start to polling, with returns on the first four days generally down on three years ago, reflects lacklustre election campaigns across the region which have hardly sparked with burning issues. The only upset on the cards could be in Auckland City where mayor Dick Hubbard appears about to be dislodged by the man he toppled last time, John Banks.
