Shadbolt backs Wellington embassy idea

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt - no stranger to a hard day's lobbying in the capital's corridors of power and then a long plane ride home - likes Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey's idea of an Auckland embassy to influence politicians.

Mr Shadbolt said he wanted Invercargill to set up an embassy too - but in Auckland, to persuade the city's captains of industry to buy southern products.

"We didn't quite get the unity on council to actually do it but the idea is on the backburner," he said. "The rumour was I wanted to set up a pad so I could just pop back to Auckland whenever I wanted to."

Mr Shadbolt admired Mr Harvey's pluck for suggesting that Auckland needed to appoint from the region's mayors a representative in Wellington to be a common voice for Auckland.

But he said it was inappropriate and confusing if that person, as Mr Harvey suggested, was called Lord Mayor of Auckland.

He said the Lord Mayor of London was elected rather than the proposed selected position, rotated among the region's mayors.

"But for that, the concept is a good one because councils have to forge links on a regular basis.

"We go up to Wellington and we lobby them and then we go home again but it's not the same as having someone there fulltime, round-the-clock making the contacts, sorting who are the movers and shakers and who's got their hand on the steering wheel.

"Mr Harvey is just looking at a new form of lobbying and you have to do it to be more effective in local government."

Committee for Auckland member Bryan Mogridge supported the concept.

"There is a misunderstanding about the importance of Auckland to the nation and if you don't develop it [the city] properly it will be a disaster ... "

Mr Harvey said he was taking the idea to the Mayoral Forum.

But the mayors of three of the region's cities told the Herald they disapproved and that the Government was paying more attention to Auckland issues than previously.

Costs for the embassy concept were unavailable.