Super City agency to be revealed

The agency with the huge task of designing Auckland's Super City could be announced today.

The Prime Minister, John Key, told 95bFM radio yesterday that agreement had been reached on the five names for the Auckland Transition Agency.

Mark Ford, chief executive of the region's water wholesaler, Watercare Services, and chairman of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority is the frontrunner to chair it.

Accountant John Waller, who chairs the Bank of New Zealand and the Eden Park Redevelopment Board, and Wayne Walden, a former boss of Farmers Deka and former Maori Television chairman, have also been tipped to join the agency.

Mr Key said the agency would have a range of complementary accounting, legal and local government skills. It is expected to have at least one woman member. The agency has the job of restructuring the eight councils into a single entity by October 31 next year.

It will be one of the largest mergers in the country, involving about 6800 council staff and $28 billion of assets.

The Government passed legislation under urgency on Saturday to set up the agency with wide powers. The legislation also set up the Super Auckland Council as a legal entity.

The agency will be able to review any council decisions during the transition period that may "significantly prejudice the reorganisation" and will approve council contracts worth more than $20,000 that run past June 2011 and council borrowing beyond then.

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide said the powers of the agency were strong, but they were needed to effect the transition. Green Party local government spokeswoman Sue Kedgley has called the powers of the agency "draconian".

Mr Ford - Mr Hide's choice to chair the agency - has his critics, including an anonymous smear campaign saying he has a "secret transition plan" for the water industry with overtones of privatisation.

Some National Cabinet ministers are understood to have concerns about his conflicts of interest heading Watercare and the transport authority.