Shabby' city centre in for special treatment

Auckland's "shabby" city centre and "inaccessible" waterfront are in for special treatment if the Government adopts the royal commission's blueprint for regional governance.

Although the rest of the region apart from Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands will be divided into six local councils, responsible to a single overarching Auckland council, the commission has recommended a special policy-making committee and community board for the city centre and waterfront.

These will be directly responsible to the larger council, rather than any of the six subsidiary bodies.

The commission said the fact that the city centre had developed around a beautiful harbour gave Auckland an immediate advantage.

"But the potential to showcase and enhance the harbour's natural beauty and the functional and amenity values it offers has not yet been fully realised," it said in its report.

"The city centre is shabby and easy public access to the waterfront is sorely lacking. Urgent action is required to address urban design issues and to improve the public realm, and implement much better urban management of the city centre."

Waiheke and Great Barrier will retain their community boards, which will receive wider delegated powers.

Although the boundary of the Auckland region will remain unchanged to the north, just past Te Hana above Wellsford, the Hibiscus Coast will become part of a Waitemata local council, which will also take over most of North Shore City.

Conversely, some small areas of North Shore and Waitakere Cities lying outside the metropolitan limits will be transferred to a Rodney local council.

An area now in the Waikato region lying north or east of the Waikato River - including the towns of Tuakau, Pokeno and Mercer - will be brought into the new Auckland City.

But the Waikato region will gain an area now in the Auckland region and Franklin District, bordering the Firth of Thames between Matingarahi Pt and Whakatiwai.

Other parts of Franklin District falling outside the new Auckland region, including Onewhero and Kaiaua on the Firth of Thames, will be transferred to Waikato District.

The rest of Franklin District will be covered by a new Hunua local council, which will also be responsible for rural areas of the existing Manukau City and Papakura District.

Urban Papakura will be subsumed into a new Manukau local council.