Auckland City's interim chief executive Doug McKay is drawing inspiration from global experts, writes Fran O'Sullivan.
Doug McKay earned his reputation as a transformational change agent in the world of big business. But he's keen to dispel the notion that his two-year term as interim chief executive of the Auckland Council will focus solely on cold operational efficiencies.
Since he moved into his temporary office at the Auckland Transition Agency four weeks ago, McKay has been inundated with "reports for Africa" about Auckland. "One of the startling numbers for me is on the Mercer quality of life survey. We're ranked ranked fourth but on GDP per capita we are way down the bottom," he says. "The point being - we're going to end up living a great lifestyle but poor as church mice - so we've got to change that trajectory."
"We've all got to start thinking differently and leverage harder some of the industries we have in the city that have the potential for global reach.
McKay cites tourism and education, and other industries based on innovation and entrepreneurship that have intellectual property attached to them. "Auckland is an environmentally beautiful city and we want to make it more so ... And some of the place things that are going to happen with the waterfront development agency and so on - we don't want to be compromising that reputation with smokestack industries by way of example."
As a newbie to local government he's now drawing inspiration from experts like global cities authority Greg Clark. "A lot of what he is doing - and has done in New Zealand since 2006 to inform the debate - has been very powerful. He's published a lot of stuff that I am getting my head around at the moment."
What captivates McKay is the notion that it is cities - rather than countries - that drive economic agendas. He relates that Clark considers that in nowhere else in the world is a city such a dominant part of a national economy as Auckland is for New Zealand ... no city that he's aware of comprises 34 per cent of the national economy."
"He thinks that getting Auckland right is just so powerful, potentially, for New Zealand."
The problem is Australasian competitors like first-tier cities Sydney and Melbourne are miles ahead of Auckland. Even Adelaide - "a second tier city - has a GDP per capita higher by 16 per cent than Auckland.
"We've got to aspire in the short-term to being top drawer in the second tier cities," says McKay. "But I think ultimately we have to aspire to being a first tier city because they are our competition in the region and that's not even thinking about Asia or anything else at this point ... Auckland's got to be the engine that drives the whole country forward."
But first things first.
On November 1, his council executive will be busy orchestrating the swearing in of the first Mayor of Auckland, the 20 councillors and a swag of local board members. There is a celebration to organise to honour the past and an opportunity for the mayor to "speak to Auckland about his vision".
Then it's down to business.
The strength of his relationship with the mayor will be critical.
McKay notes the mayor will be able to resort to a significant fund - reflecting the "Boris model" in London where the mayor's office has some autonomy and the ability to have independent advice to develop strategies for the city.'
"For me personally and my office - being very close to the mayor and his advisors will be very important.
"You'd like to think it becomes a one plus one equals three model, and not the council and mayor's office competing for advice and attention - and I am sure it will be the former.
"But a lot of it will come down to the relationships of the people involved. You can't sort of formalise this stuff."
McKay is keen to get some urgent focus on Auckland's future development through using the spatial plan process. "I'm very keen to try and accelerate that and get it done in less than a year - because out of that process will emerge very quickly a strategy for economic growth that the business community can get behind."
He's become a fan of the "Boris approach" - where Boris Johnson has produced a slim-line London Plan which spells out in an easily accessible fashion the long-term proposals for the city.
"I've found in my business career you don't want multiple strategies because you fragment resources - you want a few good ones and to really go for it.
"And it's quite intimidating really because quite a lot of better brains than mine have thought about this stuff."
