Super City bill in November will be real deal

Rodney Hide says he is pleased with the result. Photo / Richard Robinson

The broad outline of the Auckland Super City passed into law yesterday, but much of the detail will not be known until November.

That is when Local Government Minister Rodney Hide introduces a new bill elaborating on the biggest shake-up of local government in Auckland in 20 years.

The bill will detail the complex task of restructuring Auckland's eight councils, 6000-plus staff and $28 billion of assets into a single entity by October next year.

It will cover everything from spending limits for the mayoral contest and the possible establishment of Pacific Island and Asian advisory boards, to the legislative framework and day-to-day workings of 20 to 30 local boards.

Mr Hide said that once the bill was introduced to Parliament it would go through the normal select committee process before being passed by May next year.

He was speaking after legislation setting up the Super City was passed under urgency yesterday by 64 votes to 58 after a long debate and more than 200 speeches.

Mr Hide said he was pleased with the result. There had been overall support for the creating of one council and debate about issues such as Maori seats, boundaries and at-large councillors, which the Government dropped.

Aspects of the new law drew criticism in Auckland.

Manukau Mayor and Super Mayor candidate Len Brown said the legislation should have included provision to prevent the sale of council assets such as the airport, port and water. Mr Brown also believed the Government had made a mistake splitting the Franklin District Council between Auckland and the Waikato.

It was a "slap in the face" to the wishes of the community, he said.

North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams said the Government had set a "Super City Frankenstein" loose on the people of Auckland through a power-elite model, instead of sharing power with the people.

"Rodney Hide's dream of turning our communities into corporations is complete."

The passing of the bill means the Local Government Commission can now start work on setting the boundaries for the Auckland Council and local boards. The Government favours multi-member wards, but the commission can opt for 20 single-member wards.

The commission has the flexibility to go outside the parameters for 20 to 30 local boards and the parameters for the number of electors to achieve "effective representation of communities of interest".

The commission has five months to set the boundaries by March 1 next year. The public will have the chance to comment when draft proposals are released by November 20.

Commission chief executive Donald Riezebos said the body would do its best to give the public and groups the chance to participate in setting boundaries, subject to the time available.

The boundaries will be set by three commissioners, chaired by former Wellington City councillor and former PSA president Sue Piper. The other commissioners are former ARC chairwoman Gwen Bull and a former commission chairman and consultant Grant Kirby.

TIGHT TIMEFRAME
* November 20: Local Government Commission releases draft proposals.
* December 11: Response to proposals closes.
* January: Commission revises proposals as necessary.
* March 1: Boundaries finalised.

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