Editorial: Labour offers new vision for Super City

The new logo for the Auckland Supercity. Photo / Greg Bowker

Labour leader Phil Goff made a stand for Auckland yesterday. It was not before time, but it was welcome all the same. In a speech entitled The Future of Auckland, the Opposition leader set out clearly the case for opposition to the Government's muddled reforms creating the Super City. For too long, Labour has relied on its diligent but low-ranked Auckland issues spokesman, Phil Twyford, to raise warning flags on the flaws in proposed laws which unite eight councils into one Super City. The party's Auckland heavyweights have no doubt echoed those worries but not loudly enough.

A third and final Super City bill, now before a select committee, would do two critical things: Establish the 21 local boards beneath the main Auckland Council and set up the so-called council-controlled organisations to run 80 per cent of the city's activities. As Mr Goff noted, the bill does too little on local boards and too much on the CCOs.

It fails to list the powers for the boards, leaving that to the Auckland Transition Agency, which has remained vague about their purpose and responsibilities. No one can be sure, with six months until the election, just what the boards will be expected and allowed to do. If the boards are to be sounding boards only for the community, a major plank for local decision-making will have been abandoned. If their powers are left for the Auckland Council to decide, it would be doubtful that real, tangible authority is delegated voluntarily.

While local boards may not pass a bylaw, the bill says unelected members of CCOs will be able to do so - and at arm's length from public scrutiny. Even the mayor and councillors who would euphemistically "control" these organisations cannot require CCOs to act according to so-called Statements of Intent that the council would have to write for them. Three CCOs will be set up in such a way that the Auckland Council will not be able to disband them. They will not hold public meetings or be obliged to reveal meeting minutes or decisions in a timely manner. Even the Treasury opposed the CCO created for transport.

The Government's answer to criticism of the powerless local boards is an assurance that the "local" will be put into "local government", that the Auckland Council will delegate real work and authority and hear through the boards the concerns of residents. To criticism of the all-powerful CCOs, ministers blithely argue that there are numerous council companies now, that they are not open and accountable and ratepayers will notice little change. Which entirely misses the point: reforming Auckland local government was supposed to make things better, not to carry on the deficiencies of the past.

The select committee considering the bill and public submissions reports back in one month. This is the critical month for local democracy in Auckland. Mr Goff, whose party set up the royal commission that advocated one council, recognises the stakes. "National has handed the city over to Rodney Hide and he is making changes that will make Auckland's governance less transparent and accountable and less responsive to Auckland."

Labour instead promises to write local boards' powers into law if it gets re-elected and to restore Auckland's rights to decide the powers and structure of the CCOs. Mr Goff wants the new mayor to be invited to the Cabinet table when major Auckland decisions are made, which seems of dubious benefit, and promises binding referendums on "strategic" asset sales.

While still short on detail, Labour has given Aucklanders the principles of an alternative Super City governance plan. It has also found an issue on which the Government has a tin ear to voters' concerns.