Local Board Survey: Hibiscus and Bays

Julia Parfitt. Photo / Kenny Rodger

The New Zealand Herald has surveyed the 21 local boards to see how they are getting on after six months of the Super City.

The Herald asked the chairs of the local boards six questions and to score the first four questions out of 10. Not all boards gave a score.

Here are the responses from Julia Parfitt, chairwoman of the Hibiscus and Bays board.

1. After six months, how well is the local board model working for your community?

Score: 7/10

The consensus probably reflects the fact that our local board has a majority of experienced politicians and administrators who have good linkages and we have been able to date largely address any concerns that have been brought to our notice

2. How are things going between your local board and the Auckland Council governing body)?

Score: 7/10

Our councillors are more distanced than was the case in the previous model. Although our councillors want to be involved their focus has obviously been centred on the governing body. Previously, our councillors had been, although unpaid for these additional duties , members of the community boards.

3. How are things going between your local board and the CCOs?

Score: 6/10

Our relationship with the CCO's is a developing one. We really need however to establish what is local and what is not. Local roads, local footpaths and signage are an intrinsic part of our local communities that we are supposed to be shaping and developing at a grassroots level

4. Do you think local boards are living up to the promise of empowering communities?

Score: 8/10

We are empowering our communities to the furtherest extent we can, however we need further substantial delegations, funding and staffing if we are to truly fulfil this empowerment. I have however received excellent feedback from our residents. However as I commented earlier we have been lucky as a local board in that we have a board with a wide background of local body experience and excellent networks within our communities and with staff. Likewise we have a full staffing complement who have a wealth of local body experience , common sense and a can do attitude. I know not all local board areas have been as fortunate.

5. What improvements would you like to see made to the local board model? (No score required)

The key improvements we look forward to seeing are the greater delegations, funding and autonomy we need that I have mentioned above if this co-governance is to truly work. A model where the council concentrates on the big picture vision and the local boards focus on the needs and aspirations of their local communities.

6. Please feel free to comment on any other issues about the local board model.

Also as one of our members has commented the workload is such , particularly with the many briefing sessions that we are expected to attend and the continuing engagement sessions we are having over the plethora of plans we are currently out consulting on, as well as our ordinary meetings and commitments, that apart from the chair and deputy chair who have a reasonable level of remuneration ,it is difficult for them, as they have to juggle what has become an almost fulltime job with other work commitments.

Also I need to say that at a local board chairs forum last week with the mayor, deputy mayor and chief executive present, it was acknowledged that in the first 6 months the focus has been on bedding in the governing body and it's committees and their relationships with their CCO's . As a former councillor I understand how essential this is if a council is to operate effectively. I also accept that there is a genuine view that the next emphasis should be on ensuring that local boards should be able to have the delegations and funding to enable them to deal with all matters at a local level.

On a personal level, I have to say that some of the serious concerns I had with the model that the Minister Rodney Hide and the government adopted, revolved around the way that grassroots democracy was to be catered for. I was also concerned that so much of the business of council was to be controlled by stand alone companies.