Editorial: Vision fine but action required

A year after his election it is fair to ask: What difference has Mayor Dick Hubbard made to Auckland? He stood against the bombastic John Banks to change the city's image. He was elected with a newly left-leaning council determined to change more than its image. In short order the proposed eastern highway was canned, the V8 street race forbidden, the Western Springs speedway put under a cloud. Not all of these decisions were the council's, let alone Mr Hubbard's on his own. He had an open mind on all of them. But a change of electoral mood has a subtle influence at all levels of public administration. The Hubbard City-Vision council has left Auckland looking and feeling a little dull.

That is not how Mr Hubbard sees it of course. Looking back on his first year for our Weekend Review he said, "I am picking up the vibes as I go around. ... [Aucklanders] respond very strongly to the concept of vision. When I talk about the vision of Auckland in 10, 20, 50 years people really respond to that.

"Secondly, they want some niceness at the leadership level. People don't like political point-scoring, and they have come to realise that you can be nice but make the appropriate tough decisions at the same time."

Niceness and vision, or at least "the concept of vision". No wonder it is dull. But the conciliatory Hubbard style has its benefits. His initial power struggle with City Vision leader and deputy mayor, Bruce Hucker, seemed to settle quickly. The V8 race cancellation gave rise to a study of alternative events that are intended to stimulate the city in the same way. The long-running speedway issue at Western Springs has just produced a compromise between the race organisers and residents complaining at the noise. Even the perfectly sensible eastern highway proposal might be dusted off at this rate.

The subject closest to Mr Hubbard's heart seems to be the city's built heritage and urban design. He has a task force on urban design that is considering tighter protection for 16,300 old houses and better controls on the cheapjack apartment buildings that have sprouted in parts of the inner city. But he will have to work just as hard to stop the dead hands of council designers from destroying the character of places such as Vulcan Lane in the name of civic fashion.

He knows, probably, that he will have to make his mark inside three years. The Auckland mayoralty has become something of a revolving door. Not since Dame Catherine Tizard has the city had a mayor so in tune with its character that she might have had the chair for life had she not become Governor General. Not long before her of course there was Sir Dove-Myer "Robbie" Robinson who was there so long he defined the role. But since Dame Cath we have seen Les Mills, Christine Fletcher and John Banks rejected after a term or two.

Looking at his predecessors Mr Hubbard might notice that Mr Mills, like him, was a city businessman and Mrs Fletcher and Mr Banks had been national politicians before the Auckland mayoralty caught their eye. All had projects they pushed vigorously, but those didn't save them.

The Auckland mayoralty is celebrated and sought-after. It attracts dilettantes and political flag-bearers as much as dedicated civic leaders. Mr Hubbard might have appeared to be a dilettante when he arrived suddenly for the election campaign, but he finished his first year with his heart still firmly in the job. To extend his lease of office he may need to start talking less of vision and make more of it happen.