KEY POINTS:
Amonth ago, National Party arts spokesman Chris Finlayson was complaining to a meeting of Auckland's cultural power brokers, that "there seems to be a belief that members of the National Party are philistines." This week, the Tories finally realised the solution to this image problem lay in their own hands, and agreed to back the introduction into Parliament of the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding bill.
This legislation provides for stable regional funding, through a levy on each local council, for 11 rescue and cultural amenities.
Of course, one could be cynical and note that with New Zealand First having recently joined with Labour and the Greens to support the bill, National's backing was no longer needed to guarantee its passage. But let's not be churlish, and instead celebrate the overwhelming cross-party support this private bill now has.
Let's also celebrate the wake-up call this unanimity signals to Auckland's squabbling politicians, showing them that parliamentarians not only see the need for regional solutions to Auckland's problems, but are prepared to do something concrete to bring them about.
Even Dr Wayne Mapp, National's spokesman for Auckland affairs, has undergone a remarkable transmogrification. Until now a parochial North Shore-ite, he admits the arguments for supporting the bill are now "pretty compelling, particularly as far as lifesaving is concerned." The reference to lifesaving was, I suspect, a dig in my direction, for suggesting in an earlier column that as an amateur pilot and yachtie, he had a certain self-interest in ensuring adequate rescue services for the region.
Rather than finding reasons to oppose the bill, he now seems interested in ways of improving it. He wonders, for instance, whether collecting the levies through the seven territorial councils is the most efficient, cost-effective way of going about things. "Administrative simplicity would indicate the Auckland Regional Council would do it because then you'd only have a single body involved. That would reduce administrative costs."
This makes good sense to me too, but won't appeal to regional council chairman Mike Lee and his fellow politicians who wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweats reliving the fate of his predecessor Gwen Bull. She copped the blame for sharp rate rises before the last election and lost her seat.
My response to these fears is that stronger regional government is coming, ready or not. Either the incumbents jump in, set new parameters and demonstrate their hearts are in the job, or they sit back and wait for the big bad Royal Commission to descend and sweep them away altogether.
What is encouraging is that while the National caucus is only committed, at this point, to the introduction stage, it's hard to see them backing out of it later. Dr Mapp emphasised it was "a very significant step" and is already contemplating how it could be "an interim solution covering the period between now and the ultimate change of Auckland regional governance."
He says that "with the best will in the world", there would be a 2-3 year gap before any decisions of the royal commission could be activated. With the proposed bill, new funding could be in place from the next financial year. Ever the optimist, I sense these are not the words of someone about to turn against this reform a few months down the line.
On the matter of regional amenities, wouldn't it have been great if there'd been a dedicated regional sports stadium in place to cater for the Warriors, now they've returned to the big time. Tonight, 29,000 fans will pack Mt Smart Stadium, with scalpers having made a killing in recent days from scarce tickets. Meanwhile across town, Eden Park with its 48,000 capacity will lie empty.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Eden Park neighbours, a community with its head screwed on would have rationalised its major facilities - sports and cultural - to achieve the best outcomes for all. I'm not up with the play as far as sporting codes are concerned, so I'm not sure if rugby league is still banned from the union cathedral, but from the outside, it seems daft to have fans being fleeced or locked out for want of space at Mt Smart, while a bigger venue stands empty.
