Comment 27th April 2009

Mayors and city councillors are scaremongering on SuperCity proposals.

Led by the vociferous duo of Waitakere Mayor, Bob Harvey, and North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams, citizens of Auckland are being given vivid images of having to ring Mumbai or Melbourne to discuss an overdue library book.

One North Shore City councillor has, at two recent public meetings, attempted to get people to vote against SuperCity – but was thwarted by the public response of ‘We don’t know enough to vote’.

In Waitakere the council has urged people to march against the SuperCity – and then voted to give $100,000 of ratepayers funds to suppport protestors.

Mayor Williams then ‘reacts angrily’ about the government distributing pamphlets explaining its proposal.

Now we have been presented by a so-called survey which tells us that 47% of Waitakere City residents oppose the SuperCity.

And the same survey says only 16% support 30 Local Boards while 66% want the six councils proposed by the Royal Commission.

In the face of the small amount of detail currently available on the role of Local Boards these results are worthless.

The grandstanding mayors are being encouraged by some local newspapers and by some councillors whose only interest is to protect their own positions – such as the North Shore councillor who, without any evidence, claims that the government’s plan will cost ratepayers $500 a year each!

Instead of stirring up ill-informed opposition the mayors and councillors should take note of work being done by community board members on defining roles and functions of the proposed new Local Boards.

Most city councils have, for many years, simply paid lip-service to the role of community boards - despite which, board members have proved to be effective representatives of their constituents in solving local problems – and, most importantly, being readily available to residents.

If the new system for Auckland governance gives real powers to the new Local Boards, then residents will be better served than they are in today’s system, in which city councils spend a fortune competing with each other, and mayoral egos override sound local government.

ends

[Declaration of interest. David Thornton is an elected member of the Glenfield Community Board.]

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