Call to define board functions

Rodney Hide. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Manukau Mayor Len Brown is calling on the Government to step in and define the roles and functions of local boards on the Auckland Super City authority.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide is leaving the powers of local boards to the agency designing the Super City.

Mr Brown, a candidate for the new mayoral job, yesterday said the roles and functions of the 19 local boards under the Auckland Council was one issue in which Mr Hide and the Government needed to set clear roles and responsibilities. There was strong alignment among councils on the appropriate powers, he said.

"Leaving this to the transition agency and the new Auckland Council is fraught with potential problems.

"It is like asking the monarch to draft the Magna Carta," said Mr Brown.

The last thing needed was for the Auckland Council to get bogged down in constant negotiation and conflict with local communities, he said.

Yesterday, Mr Hide expressed confidence in the transition agency to provide the initial allocation of functions between local boards and the new Auckland Council to address the concerns of Aucklanders.

A list of functions is due in March.

He said a select committee considering the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill rejected the idea of setting a list of functions because the activities by each local board would differ and change over time.

Most Auckland councils, the New Zealand Community Board executive and the Auckland District Law Society were among the submitters who wanted local boards' powers and functions set in law.

Mr Brown's mayoral opponent, Auckland City Mayor John Banks, was opposed to setting out the powers of local boards in law.

He supported the Auckland Council delegating local powers to local boards.

Mr Hide said the final piece of Super City legislation, introduced to Parliament last week, allowed the Local Government Commission to mediate in disputes between the mayor and councillors and a local board, including the allocation of functions.