Brian Rudman: We don't have to take marina bill lying down

COMMENT

Talk of mirrors and things. Yesterday Prime Minister Helen Clark fronted a hastily called press conference to announce the glad tidings that the Government had bought Westhaven marina for Aucklanders.

Then came the bad news. Auckland city ratepayers would be expected to pay her back for her gift. Well, as much as we can afford, which in Mayor John Banks' estimation is around $46 million.

Given an announced sale price of $52 million plus GST, that reduces the Crown's contribution to just $8 million to $10 million.

Mayor Banks calls the announcement "great news", and certainly the retaining of the land in public ownership is that.

But forcing Auckland city ratepayers to pay for it is not. Particularly when it involves cleaning up a mess that has arisen thanks to the provisions of the 1987 Port Reform Bill of a previous Labour government.

It was that legislation which resulted in this unique stretch of community-owned Auckland foreshore ending up in the clutches of a private company, Ports of Auckland.

It is that legislation that has also made possible the seemingly unthinkable - the present fire sale of this land to the highest bidder.

Government ministers from Helen Clark down have agreed with most Aucklanders, that the idea of this community taonga falling into private hands is unacceptable.

Given the political unacceptability of the sale, and the fact that a previous Labour government is responsible, why, you have to ask, should Auckland city ratepayers be mugs enough to fork out to clean up the mess?

Luckily, there is a way out. It's called the special consultation procedure, and it is required under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 when a council plans to undertake significant new spending activities.

Auckland City, when it announced its own plans to bid for Westhaven and signalled a desire to buy up to $400 million worth of adjacent waterfront property earlier this year, set out the consultation timetable for Westhaven.

Details are on the city website www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/ or from the civic administration building, and public submissions close next Wednesday, April 21. You can request to make verbal submissions on May 3 or 4.

Helen Clark and Associate Minister of Finance Trevor Mallard both acknowledged yesterday that Auckland's buy-in to Government's plans is "subject to the council's public consultation process". Well, here is Auckland ratepayers' chance to prove the process works.

My suggestion for a submission is simple. Something along the lines that with the Government having successfully tendered for Westhaven, it is now, to quote Mr Mallard, "in perpetual public ownership".

That being so, what need is there for Auckland City ratepayers to get involved?

The threat of a sell-off to foreign buyers was the result of a central government mess which central government has now cleaned up. End of story.

Of course, central government latched on to Auckland City as a soft touch, because it is the only public entity in the region willing to take the issue seriously.

Every other council spoke out against the sale, but as usual, when it came to putting some money into something regional, they rapidly slid under the nearest parish rock.

If Helen Clark really needs an Auckland arm to twist, she should be dealing to Gwen Bull, the chairwoman of the Auckland Regional Council.

For starters, Westhaven is in all but name a regional park, enjoyed by boaties and visitors from throughout the region. And regional parks are an ARC responsibility.

Even more to the point, in July, thanks to the Government, the regional council assumes ownership of the 80 per cent of port company shares now owned by Infrastructure Auckland.

If anyone is to benefit from the sale, it's the ARC. Port company chief executive Geoff Vazey indicated back in August last year that "Aucklanders will almost certainly benefit from the sale of the marinas. On the basis of past example, the entire sales proceeds may be returned to shareholders as a special dividend".

That special dividend will go to the ARC. Well, 80 per cent of it anyway.

In this public money-go-round, Auckland City ratepayers seem to be singled out as the suckers. Well, there's a way to show the Government we're not as green as we're cabbage looking. That's to take part in the consultation process and say NO to the ratepayer purchase. But hurry, entries close next Wednesday.