Mayor looks to private member's bill solution

A private member's bill to exclude the northern part of Rodney from the Auckland Super City could soon go before Parliament.

The area remains within the proposed boundary despite petitions to Parliament and overwhelming local support for becoming part of Kaipara District Council.

Kaipara Mayor Neil Tiller has reiterated the request to the Auckland governance select committee, but afterwards he said the local council was "seriously considering" a parliamentary bill to achieve it.

Mr Tiller and members of the Northern Action Group delivered a petition and a bag of about 6000 Smarties - representing about 6000 signatures - to Northland MPs and to Local Government Minister Rodney Hide, asking to add northern Rodney to the Kaipara District Council.

"The groups petitioning Parliament will be asking us next week to consider a local bill," Mr Tiller said.

"Either [Northland MP] John Carter or [Te Tai Tokerau MP] Hone Harawira will have to introduce it into the House. But the council is seriously considering that."

A spokesman for Mr Carter said that as the local MP, he would be obliged to enter the bill in the members' ballot, in which private bills are randomly drawn every second Wednesday when Parliament sits.

The proposed Super City bill before the select committee would prevent any boundary changes until the October 2013 council elections.

Mr Tiller also pleaded with the committee members to add to the bill a clear and sound governance structure for Kaipara Harbour.

Kaipara chief executive Jack McKerchar said the harbour was deteriorating.

"Some of the environmental people we have talked to say it's at a tipping point. If our boundary was shifted south, there's a real chance that Auckland could delegate their control of the southern part of Kaipara Harbour to us."

He said Auckland could even be given full control of the entire harbour.

"We said [at a council meeting on Wednesday] we would rather be in Auckland than Northland, if that's the way it has to go."