KEY POINTS:
The Auckland City Council has dropped the title lord mayor and accepted the need for more local democracy in its final submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance.
A large majority of councillors voted last night to go with a single Greater Auckland Council for the region, but modified some of the more radical elements proposed by chief executive David Rankin. He spent up to $410,000 on consultants to help with the draft submission.
Howls of disbelief at a proposal to axe community boards and replace them with 26 councillors to manage both regional and local affairs has resulted in the council coming up with about 21 neighbourhood boards with four members each.
The council has abandoned the idea of 21 or so council wards being based on parliamentary boundaries in favour of wards with a community of interest drawn up by the Local Government Commission. The council also wants another eight councillors elected at large to the Greater Auckland Council.
The title lord mayor has also been abandoned for a Greater Auckland mayor, who would be elected at large.
Mayor John Banks told last night's council meeting that the submission was about brave leadership and brave decisions. "It's not about us," he said.
City Vision leader Richard Northey said the best thing about a single authority was it meant decisions for Auckland were made by Auckland in a democratic and effective way.
Attempts by City Vision councillors to have the mayor elected by his or her peers and the powers of neighbourhood boards guaranteed by legislation were lost.
Waiheke Islanders have responded to the potential watering down of their voice by issuing a series of tongue-in-cheek postcards with messages like "Is the super council away with the ferries?", "The Hauraki gulf. We're already world class." and one showing Mayor John Banks dressed as Napoleon.
Meanwhile, the ARC yesterday finalised its submission for a single "Greater Auckland Authority", supported by about 30 "community councils". Chairman Mike Lee said it would lead to a "one-stop shop".
