Opposition takes aim at Super City

Unelected boards and highly paid chief executives are going to run much of the Auckland Super City along commercial lines, say Labour and the Green Party.

Labour MP Phil Twyford and the Greens' Sue Kedgley yesterday claimed the agency designing the Super City was going to place control of most of Auckland's assets into eight companies.

Mr Twyford said up to eight council-controlled organisations (CCOs) with their own boards and chief executives would run the services of transport, water, stadiums, land development and economic development.

"They are even planning to corporatise libraries and community houses. The mayor and council will be left like beached whales," he said.

Ms Kedgley said the Super City was turning into a corporate con.

Instead of setting up one council with one voice, she said the Auckland Council was being fragmented into eight corporate boards with decisions being made behind closed doors by unelected and unaccountable directors.

On Monday, the Auckland Transition Agency will unveil the structure of the Auckland Council to more than 6000 council staff before making it public.

Last night, Auckland Transition Agency executive director Mark Ford said no decisions had been taken about council-controlled organisations - although the Government has decided on CCOs for water, transport and a waterfront agency.

Mr Ford said there was no way that libraries and community services, "which lie at the heart of local government", would be run by anything but the council.

The agency is reviewing more than 100 CCOs, trust and investment bodies currently used by the eight councils and has undertaken to talk with council staff before publicly debating changes. The agency would be reducing the number of CCOs, not increasing them, Mr Ford said.

He also disputed a claim by Mr Twyford that the CCOs would be overseen by a separate council-owned holding company with its own chief executive and board.

"CCOs will be controlled under the Auckland Council and it will be the council that is responsible for the governance and monitoring of performance," Mr Ford said.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide said he knew of no plans for eight CCOs, just the three already indicated by the Government.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams, who has been briefed by Mr Ford on the council structure, said he could not comment on specifics but the final framework would be nothing like the one council, one mayor and one body promised for Auckland.

MAYORS SLAM SUPERSHOW

A $1 million supershow is planned to mark the Auckland Super City with top musicians, culture groups and even a champion Aberdeen Angus bull.

Alan Smythe, organiser of Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park and SkyCity Starlight Symphony, wants to commemorate the new city with a free event in the Auckland Domain or Bastion Pt on Auckland Anniversary Day 2011 to make people proud of being Aucklanders.

He envisages a crowd of 100,000 and live television coverage. Musicians could include the likes of Split Enz, Dave Dobbyn and Nesian Mystik.

The event would remember Aucklanders such as Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Peter Blake.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide thinks the supershow is a great idea but said taxpayers' or ratepayers' money should not pay for it and has suggested Mr Smythe seek funding from the Lotteries Board.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said: "Why on earth would the national lottery want to give a sum like that to Auckland for a one-night bash ... ?"

Auckland City Mayor John Banks said he could not think of anything worse and more badly timed in the week that the Salvation Army was holding its annual appeal. Bernard Orsman