Mayor Wayne Brown is understood to be implementing a streamlined structure that he's been working on for nearly a month. Photo / Michael Craig
Mayor Wayne Brown is understood to be implementing a streamlined structure that he's been working on for nearly a month. Photo / Michael Craig
Auckland councillors Richard Hills and John Watson are set to be the big winners in a new committee structure being announced by mayor Wayne Brown this morning.
The Herald understands the pair will each chair one of two major committees made up of all councillors under a streamlined structure Brown has been working on for nearly a month.
Hills will chair the planning, environment and parks committee with Angela Dalton as his deputy and Watson will chair the transport and infrastructure committee with Christine Fletcher as his deputy.
Brown has decided the governing body, which he chairs and all councillors sit on, will take over most of the functions of the old finance committee, formerly chaired by Desley Simpson, who has been appointed deputy mayor.
Negotiations are also under way for members of the Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) to meaningfully participate in the new governing body/finance committee structure. They sit on council committees - and have had two members on the finance committee with voting rights - but do not participate in the governing body.
The powered-up governing body will give Brown greater control and accountability for the city’s finances. As mayor he is responsible for the budget, but past mayors Len Brown and Phil Goff have had a separate finance committee.
Auckland councillor Richard Hills. Photo / Dean Purcell
The Herald understands Brown will establish an expenditure control committee, akin to a razor gang, to conduct a forensic line-by-line analysis of spending at the council and wider council group to make recommendations for next year’s budget, which has a $270 million hole.
The committee will be chaired by former National Cabinet minister Maurice Williamson, who stood for election in the Howick ward for the sole reason of breaking the back of a “spending monster” and seeing a return to fiscal discipline.
His deputy will be another fiscally dry councillor, Greg Sayers, but to keep the pair in check, Brown is understood to have appointed more left-leaning councillors.
This is part of a “one team” approach Brown is seeking to have on the council to break the “A” team and “B” team culture that existed under former mayor Goff.
Under this approach, Watson, a member of the “B” team and vocal opponent of Goff, has been brought into a senior leadership role and Hills, a staunch member of the Labour Party, continues his rise around the council table.
Hills’ promotion is at the expense of his fellow North Shore councillor Chris Darby, who chaired the planning committee in the last term.
Councillor John Watson.
The Herald understands there will be about six small committees comprising about eight councillors.
The IMSB will be able to have up to two members on each of the committees.
Early on, Brown brought Simspon, Hills and Watson, representing different political perspectives and geographies and ways of doing business, into his confidence to build the committee structure.
Law firm Meredith Connell partner Max Hardy and the mayor’s advisers have also worked on the structure, terms of reference and roles.
From day one in the role, Brown said: “Every councillor and every member of the Independent Māori Statutory Board needs roles that interest and challenge them – and through which they can best help deliver the change you demand. It is our job to build a functioning team, free of political labels and focused on fixing Auckland.”
