KEY POINTS:
Here we go round the mulberry bush again.
On Saturday it leaked out that Auckland City has developed a secret funding plan for the 2011 Rugby World Cup which makes the city's support conditional on a compulsory contribution from the Auckland Regional Council. Naturally enough, the ARC is spewing about the lack of consultation, with chairman Mike Lee labelling this "ransom" demand as "schoolground local politics".
Meanwhile, from the office of the Minister for the Rugby World Cup, Trevor Mallard, comes the ominous advice that funding discussions could go on for "some years" as commercial arrangements are put in place.
It's as though Mr Mallard is getting his revenge on Aucklanders for rejecting his waterfront stadium fantasy. That by delaying for as long as possible an announcement on the size of the Government's contribution to the option he didn't want, we won't be able to resist falling on each other's throats.
True to form, Auckland's politicians have taken the bait and are doing what they do best, scrapping over how to divide up Auckland's share of the costs.
Roll on the royal commission on Auckland governance.
Of course, when the minister was pushing his waterfront dream, money seemed to be no object. A billion dollars or more, no worries, a national stadium would cost what a national stadium cost and the central coffers would provide.
But now we're back in the real world, Auckland needs to know how much of that Government money is still on offer, so we can intelligently debate how much we're going to be up for and where the money's going to come from.
My ARC rates bill also arrived on Saturday, along with a blurb sheet explaining all the good things the organisation did with my money. It came as a surprise to discover that 8 per cent goes to pay for something called "regional leadership and community development".
Reading further, I learned that "the public and central government want the region's eight councils to work more co-operatively, and the regional council is best placed to lead that change".
I agree with the sentiments, but I suspect these words could be seen as a tad political and one-sided, for those campaigning to overthrow the ARC.
The document continues: "The ARC will help build an integrated decision-making framework for the long-term sustainable economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing of the region".
Again I agree, but when are Mr Lee and his merry councillors going to lead that charge, sorry, change, the document talks about?
Sure, this is one of the key issues the royal commission will address. But that doesn't mean everything has to go on hold for the next year and a half while members are sworn in, evidence taken and a report written.
For the past two years the ARC has had a chance to lead the change by supporting the 11 community and cultural organisations seeking an equitable spread of funding from across the region.
The obvious answer would have been to take regional leadership and fund the organisations through ARC rates. Instead, the politicians wimped out, giving token support instead, to the Auckland Regional Amenities Funding Bill, which, if adopted, will bypass the ARC in favour of a more convoluted process of levying each local council on a per capita basis.
The Eden Park stadium is another obvious area where the ARC should lead the charge. Its politicians showed commendable courage in opposing the waterfront option last year in the face of huge pressure from central government. It was a victory that saved the CBD from a huge and ugly blot on the landscape.
Now they have a chance to finish the job. That's where I'd like to see the $28.64 I calculate I'm being billed for regional leadership spent.
Sure, it was pretty stupid of Auckland City to come up with a secret plan for funding the Eden Park upgrade which included a sizeable ARC contribution, without speaking to them first. But that's par for the course, and yelling and screaming up and down Greys Avenue between regional house and the town hall will do nothing, except possibly raise a chuckle or two in Mr Mallard's office.
The whole world is clamouring for stronger regional leadership. There's a royal commission in the offing to underline that. What a perfect chance for Mr Lee and his team to prove they are the ones for the job.
