Phone poll on Super City

The North Shore City Council will survey residents' opinions to update its submission to MPs considering the Super City legislation.

The council yesterday approved a telephone poll of about 750 citizens - 250 in each ward of the city which has 86,000 households. Mayor Andrew Williams said it would be useful to include fresh feedback in the council's verbal submission to the select committee this month.

He would like questions to test views on having local boards acting under the Auckland Council and whether council services should include community work.

He said personal feedback would be useful to remind the Government that its plan to merge councils had not been put to the people for their approval.

A referendum in the city would cost about $200,000 but a telephone survey would cost between $10,000 and $35,000.

Mr Williams said the anti-smacking referendum was a golden opportunity to seek public endorsement of the Super City. "It can't be too difficult or expensive to print off another ballot paper to drop into the same envelopes being sent out to Auckland voters."

A staff report to the council pointed out risks in a survey. It was likely public opinion might be swayed in favour of the Super City and show a lack of understanding of merger problems.

Rodney District Council spent $19,000 on its Colmar Brunton poll of 1200 residents last month. The result showed 52 per cent were against being part of the proposed enlarged Auckland Council.