KEY POINTS:
The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance is heading overseas in the next stage of coming up with a model to reshape Auckland for the foreseeable future.
Commission chairman Peter Salmon, QC, yesterday said two months of listening to more than 550 submitters at public hearings across Auckland had produced a lot of worthwhile ideas, not just from big organisations but from many individuals.
"There are certain minor issues where our thinking is beginning to crystalise, but on the big issues, like the ultimate form of local government, we have not reached any firm view on what it should be," he said.
"We don't want to reach a firm view until we have really obtained all the information that we think is possible to get that is relevant to that topic."
Mr Salmon would not say what issues the commission was firming up on. He was more forthcoming on the issues the commission would be looking at overseas, starting with visits to Brisbane and Melbourne in September.
Brisbane, the largest council in Australasia and promoted by many submitters as a model for Auckland, is a must-see for Mr Salmon and the two other commissioners, retired public servant Dame Margaret Bazley and rates inquiry head David Shand.
Mr Salmon said the commission was also interested in the recent amalgamation of several councils in south-east Queensland.
Melbourne was interesting from the point of view of having a number of small councils and how they worked.
In October, the commission heads to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Toronto and London.
Mr Salmon said London offered the opportunity to meet local government academics and discuss one of the big new trends of re-engaging communities.
A common theme at the public hearings was that Auckland councils were losing touch with their communities.
Mr Salmon said the commission was continuing to analyse more than 3500 public submissions, which would form a section of its report to the Government.
Research was also being commissioned into a number of subjects, including what Auckland would look like in the year 2060, social issues, economic development, land use management and planning, and leadership.
Mr Salmon would not comment on rumours the commission had asked the Government to extend its reporting deadline to April or May next year, saying only that it was working to meet the deadline of December 1.
