Leaders out of book, off the hook

Photo / Natalie Slade

The Super City's elected officials had a day off yesterday from voters' woes - their contact phone numbers were left off the Auckland Council's new website.

Contact details were the most glaring omissions in preparations for the first working day of the combined eight councils, now serving the region 1.43 million residents.

Searching for council and local board members' phone numbers, which were published on the former councils' websites until recently, proved fruitless.

"The old North Shore council's website list of names has been wiped," said Devonport-Takapuna Local Board member Jan O'Connor.

"Unless the members are in the residential white pages you can't get hold of them, and that's a poor start for the public's access to representatives."

More access trouble came from the Auckland Council redirecting phone calls made to 20 local service centres to the council's new number.

Residents formerly served by Rodney District Council previously had a toll-free 0800 number for calling their civic centres but the Auckland Council has a new number, (09) 301-0101, for 24-hour service.

Thinking it was now a toll call, some Warkworth rural residents had sought advice from Rodney Local Board member June Turner.

"They did not know it was toll-free and that fact was not widely advertised," said Mrs Turner.

The Herald tried but failed failed to contact elected members through the former councils' main numbers. However, an inquiry about a rates bill was dealt with within six minutes of calling to new council.

Contact details

Auckland Council phone numbers:

* General inquiries: (09) 301-0101 - 24 hours toll free.
* Auckland Transport: (09) 355-3553.
* Watercare Services: (09) 442-2222.