KEY POINTS:
Auckland City councillors are divided over a radical plan by officers for a single super city governed by a 26-member Greater Auckland Council, including an elected lord mayor.
Mayor John Banks and his deputy David Hay see a lot of merit in the proposal, but City Vision-Labour councillors believe it is a "full frontal attack" on local democracy.
Even Mr Banks is hedging his bets by calling it a "working document" and refusing to endorse it until it has been discussed at the political level.
He supported the principle of a single super-city council and fewer politicians but acknowledged there needed to be more discussion around the level of representation.
Under the draft plan, released by chief executive David Rankin yesterday, the seven territorial councils, community boards and one regional council would be replaced by the 26-strong Greater Auckland Council.
The region of 1.3 million people, stretching from the Waikato in the south to Warkworth in the north, would lose 90 per cent of its 264 elected local politicians.
The plan is the first draft of a submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Auckland Governance. It will be considered by the regional governance committee on Thursday. The final submission will be decided at a special council meeting on April 17. Submissions close on April 22.
The Greater Auckland Council would be made up of an elected lord mayor, four area mayors and 21 neighbourhood councillors based on parliamentary boundaries.
There would be four area committees - north, south, west and central - comprising the area mayor and four to seven neighbourhood councillors. The committees, in effect, would be glorified community boards.
The plan also includes a powerful civic board made up of the lord mayor, four area mayors and two neighbourhood councillors to be responsible for developing key plans, budgets and being the regional point of contact.
The lord mayor would be the single voice for Auckland.
Mr Rankin defended the plan to reduce local government in Auckland to a single council only slightly bigger than the present 20-strong Auckland City Council, saying it would remain accountable and accessible at the local level.
"The royal commission is really saying to Auckland, 'What's best for the next 20 years or more?'
"That's an opportunity to have a fresh look in light of the challenges.
"Our view is that this structure enables regional issues to be dealt with regionally, neighbourhood issues to be dealt with at a neighbourhood level and enables the two to come together."
Mr Rankin said neighbourhood councillors would have staff support and offices, as members of Parliament have, to serve local residents and the ability to appoint community advocates.
The area committees would have significant decision-making powers and more resources than now, he said.
City Vision councillor Glenda Fryer said Auckland City would be governed by just six elected councillors with responsibility for between 60,000 and 65,000 people instead of the current 19 councillors and 52 community board members.
Labour councillor Leila Boyle said communities would have difficulty getting local issues heard in the corridors of power and the result would be a huge decrease in local democracy and decision-making.
Mr Hay, who chairs the regional governance committee, said there was widespread support for better regional governance on the big picture items.
"The area for greatest debate will be around the local community," the deputy mayor said.
The plan comes as Rodney District Council is about to take out newspaper advertisements showing a gaping mouth with the headline: "Is Rodney District about to be swallowed up?"
It goes on to say: "There are a few people down south salivating at the prospect of using the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance to swallow up parts, maybe all, of Rodney District."
