Situation vacant: Super Mayor

The downtown waterfront has potential for the mayor to show some vision. Photo / Brett Phibbs

In 18 months an election will be held to choose a leader of the newly incorporated Greater Auckland. Who will run? What should their priorities be? And what challenges will they face? Those questions and more were put to a panel of well-known Aucklanders.

Expectation will be the biggest challenge. Whoever wears the robes as the first Mayor of Greater Auckland will inherit the burden of the hype: that this dysfunctional city will be freed from its shackles, that decisions will come easy and that progress will flow like a drain.

The first Mayor of Greater Auckland will have almost presidential powers to formulate policy and propose budgets; to appoint a deputy and committee heads. He or she will command a $25 billion empire, up to 6000 staff and have $3 billion to play with.

But piloting the first term of the single Auckland council could prove as challenging as leaping tall buildings in a single bound. The election is 18 months away but already stumbling blocks are emerging.

The dissent surrounding the Government's changes to the Royal Commission's recommendations - the loss of Maori seats and the axing of "second tier" councils - casts early light on the challenges next year's mayoralty race winner will face.

Critics fear that it will be Auckland City vs the suburbs or big business over residents' needs. That the expense of citywide campaigning will entrench power in the hands of a right-wing, business-dominated cabal. That the council will still decide; a Mayor without a ticket behind him will be dog tucker - bringing party politics into the council chamber.

That voters, particularly in poorer suburbs, will continue to feel too remote to bother voting.

The Royal Commission on Auckland's governance dwelt at length on the type of person needed to overcome these traps: a multiskilled people-person, a tightrope walker able to juggle several balls in the air, a visionary bridge-builder able to keep sector groups on side while taking diverse communities with him; media savvy yet hands-on.

Surely no one person - other than a superman or superwoman - could possess all these qualities and satisfy the pent-up demands of diverse interest groups whose ambitions have been stymied by fragmented governance.

The Weekend Herald asked 10 passionate Aucklanders about the challenges ahead and the sort of leader needed.

While some see the mayoralty as a poisoned chalice, others envisage a Super Mayor sitting above the petty squabbling and divisions which have defined the city's governance - a visionary with their feet on the ground.

"Someone interested in developing communities and how a city develops should see it as a pretty attractive job," says Nick Main, chairman of Deloitte NZ and a member of the Committee for Auckland.

Heart of the City's Alex Swney says the task, while big, is far from impossible. "Let's put things in perspective. While 1.3 million people makes it New Zealand's largest city and the single council will be the largest unitary authority in Australasia, there are 400 cities bigger than greater Auckland in the world. There are plenty of international examples."

What skills will a Super Mayor need?

Main: The ability to get along with broad and diverse teams. Someone able to manage the local government relationship very effectively and the relationship with central government.

An understanding of how local government works will be important but it won't necessarily need to be someone experienced in local government. Someone able to build coalitions with local agencies - ignore the 25 to 30 community boards at your peril.

Laila Harre: Clarity of political purpose is number one. This is not a vanity post. A powerful political vision will need to be matched with advocacy and facilitation skills of the highest order. He or she must be able to rapidly establish (or already have) credibility with senior manager-level bureaucrats.

Pauline Winter: Somebody that actually loves Aucklanders and has a deep understanding of Auckland. An astute person with the ability to think globally, listen to what diverse communities are saying and formulate policy in response. A friendly person able to make tough decisions but with an ego safely under control.

Willie Jackson: A people's person, skilled at dealing with different groups who has the some background in working with Maori - any mayor will need a grasp on where Maori and Polynesians are at in Auckland.

Gordon McLauchlan: You really want an independent, thoughtful community-minded person but the chances of getting one under these circumstances would be pretty remote. This person is going to be a very driven politician - and they are the last people in the world you want to give a huge amount of power to.

Tim Shadbolt: A sense of humour can help at times. You've got to try and gel a team of people together who often don't know each other - you've got to have people skills. It takes a fair bit of humility - the mayor has to have the ability to be a referee and resolve disputes between factions.

Hamish Keith: Somebody with the ability and willingness to stand up to central government - poverty is a major issue that can't be swept under the carpet. Public transport failures are driven by Wellington not by Auckland. They've got be able to make Auckland speak with one voice - that's affluent and impoverished Auckland. It's got to be somebody that holds out hope in a whole lot of ways.

Diane Robertson: Somebody to bring all the Auckland cities together as one cohesive city, to give it a sense of identity and to make people believe in that.

Mike Moore: They have to convince people and there's certain humility about it all and it isn't vanity, it isn't ego, it's about doing the job.

What's the ticket to success?

Main: If I was doing it I'd be asking: "where are the things I can get some quick hits with, with immediate impacts". The waterfront is a good example. There are some quite cheap options which would have a big impact such as a cruise ship terminal.

You'd probably want to do a few symbolic things where you could have some improvements, such as water rating, so people get a sense you are moving in the right direction, but spend most of the time getting the bedrock set.

Swney: The Mayor needs to come in with a vision and a plan and take the people with them.

The Mayor will have substantial powers but they will be for nought if they fail to articulate an overarching and credible vision that all Aucklanders aspire to. For my money this vision would begin down at our waterfront.

Robertson: I would hope that long term we develop some really strong regional plans around homelessness, around poverty.

We're talking about housing and making sure our citizens are fed and have adequate services and safe eateries and all the rest of it - so a lot of the stuff that happens with transport and access to services are social issues.

Keith: This slagging off and abuse is childish and unnecessary.

What about a mayor who said "let's put in a bullet train between Hamilton and Auckland"? Those are the kind of ideas I want to hear coming from a mayor. Somebody who's a prime contender has to bite the bullet and tell Ports of Auckland to move to Tauranga. It's not too late to make this one of the most obviously Polynesian cities in the world; not too late to capitalise on the diversity of Auckland.

Why doesn't someone push for a northern branch of Te Papa on the tank farm or somewhere else - a place where those collections can be shown?

Moore: The biggest challenge is to concentrate on the legitimacy of the new structure and avoid the politicking and the media grabs and forget about campaign for re-election.

Obstacle course

Unplugged from the community

Gordon McLauchlan is not alone when he says he's worried about the relationship the Auckland Mayor will have with the people.

"The idea of a super city is great, but it cannot be unplugged from the community and the community boards are going to have almost no power at all."

Keith believes it's vital that community boards connect with the council and proposes that each board elect one member as a councillor. "In the present system there are no community connections and that is a recipe for disaster."

Harre: "By getting the relationship right between the Council and the community boards we can have both more local democracy and better regional policy. Not getting this right will result in the informal re-emergence of the territorial local authorities and that will create lasting difficulties."

Winter says the mayor should be seen as belonging to every single Aucklander - "every Aucklander needs to be able to see their place in this city."

Jackson's concern is the lack of Maori seats. "I would think knowing a bit about the brown people should be an absolute requirement. Unfortunately, the way it's set up it would seem we won't get that type of person."

Celebrity vs talent

Swney: "The candidate will need to be well known. I think everyone fears that this election could turn into a beauty parade of well-meaning sports stars and media personalities."

Shadbolt: "Celebrities may not be good administrators and may not necessarily be flash business men, but they do make good communicators.

"By and large celebrity politicians don't do too bad a job. They don't go around with a frown on their face and they're interested in the arts as much as they are interested in business."

Main: "This is a seriously hard working job and I think Auckland [voters] will probably take it more seriously and ask 'do you have the attributes to do this?

Just because we know your name doesn't mean we think you can do the job'."

Jackson: "I wouldn't support people like Paul Holmes chucking their name in. He's a tremendous broadcaster but I don't think it's right for celebrities to come in with no political experience."

Us vs Them

McLauchlan sees Auckland as the economic powerhouse of New Zealand and that business is more powerful in Auckland than anywhere else.

So it's a given that business will play a controlling role in the election. What concerns him is that in the past the city has been run as an economy rather than a community.

"Business is the lifeblood of the community but we need to be a much more welded and unified community. The grave danger I see is that we'll be living in an economy."

Shadbolt sees two scenarios - super city or super nightmare.

The latter is "a sort of blood bath with the other mayors ganging up on Auckland and starting a civil war of resentment and suspicion among voters."

"Auckland central is the the business hub - whether or not it's representative of Auckland I'm not too sure. If John Banks gets in - and everyone thinks it's most likely - he's very much identified with business. Many in Waitakere tend to think John Banks represents brutal commercialism and not the idea of an eco-city at all."

Party tickets and money will dominate

The cost of a city-wide campaign and the Mayor's need for Council backing have raised expectations that candidates will have party tickets behind them.

Shadbolt: "The problem is that money does talk a lot in these campaigns. We might see a combination of the other mayors if they organise themselves - a ticket combining the other mayors would be quite a powerful force."

Moore: "An economist would say it creates a moral hazard and that the mayor's office becomes just a branch of a political party. Big money is going to come into play.

What is ominous is that a lot of this is going to come down to resources money and campaigning - who's got half a million dollars - not the battlers in west Auckland."

Jackson: "The right wing always get out and vote.

I've no doubt big business will get in behind [John] Banks - it's all a bit sad the way this has gone through."

Winter: "It's up to different communities to organise themselves. Money doesn't have to be a barrier."

Vision will be lost in the machine

Main: "The Mayor will be hands-on but will have a lot of staff to delegate tasks to. The relationship with the CEO will be very important. He or she will set objectives for the council controlled organisations [eg: water, port] but leave them to get on with it.

The first term will be a bedding down period but a lot of it is CEO stuff and there are plenty of skilled operators who can do that.

The real challenge will be the balance between developing a very broad vision for a very large part of the country and managing relationships with stakeholders and central government."

Swney: "Running around at the grassroots will be the killer. If you want to play the game at that level, go and stand for a community board."

Keith: "I'm looking for somebody to stand up and say 'sorry, forget your squabbling, this is what Auckland has to be'."

Robertson: "It's about unifying not just cultural and social issues but working together on one plan for transport and one for the ports and all those things."

WHO ARE THE CONTENDERS FOR SUPER MAYOR?

Incumbent civic leaders are seen as tainted by association with the city's tortuous progress, but at this early stage there are no obvious alternative candidates to lead the city to salvation, or save it from itself.

Alex Swney: "Off the top of my head I can't think of anyone. Who is this charismatic urban liberal that could carry the day?"

Laila Harre: "Both Lee and Banks are capable of operating across multiple political constituencies... The sooner this shapes up as a contest between Lee and Banks over clearly differentiated programmes, the better.

"Harvey should retire gracefully. Brown and Williams have already prioritised the parochial over the regional. Brown should accept the political defeat that the Government's decision represents and support Lee's candidacy."

Willie Jackson: "Len Brown has the right background to stand. He's hard-working, there's a fairness about him, he has worked with Polynesians and can work across party lines.

"Mike Lee is another very capable person, very savvy, has a feel for Maori things.

"Banks is the favourite and it will take one hell of a campaign to put him out. Labour, the Maori Party and the Green Party would need to get behind one candidate otherwise Banks will just waltz in".

Swney: "If it's a politician we are looking for then Banks is hard to go past. No one campaigns better or speaks better off the cuff. He is driven - every waking moment is consumed by the mayoral possibilities. He may be tainted by incumbency and the dated policy and the current shabby urban form of Auckland.

"Mike Lee is up there with Banksie as a canny political survivor but his love of the Ports dividend and the consequent inertia on our waterfront may stymie him."

OUR PANEL OF PROUD AUCKLANDERS

Gordon McLauchlan
cultural critic, social historian, author

Hamish Keith
art historian, cultural commentator

Diane Robertson
Auckland City Missioner

Nick Main
Chairman Deloitte NZ; Committee for Auckland member

Tim Shadbolt
Invercargill Mayor; former Mayor of Waitemata

Willie Jackson
Broadcaster, Manukau Urban Maori Authority chairman

Mike Moore
former Labour politician, World Trade Organisation director general

Pauline Winter
Director of Pasifika Advancement, AUT

Laila Harre
Northern Distribution Union

Alex Swney
Heart of the City