Auckland’s assets must stay
in Auckland

7 July 2009

Auckland stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in water assets and major tracts of regional parkland if the super city’s southern boundary is drawn as currently planned.

“I thought the whole objective of this exercise was to put all of Auckland’s council assets and infrastructure together in a rational way. Why would you then go and give a significant element of Auckland’s infrastructure to yet another council, Environment Waikato. It’s nuts!” says Mike Lee, Auckland Regional Council Chairman.

“It makes no sense to us to exclude the Mangatangi and Mangatawhiri dams and three regional parks from the ‘Super City’.

“These dams provide 54 per cent of Auckland’s drinking water storage capacity and were built and are maintained by Auckland ratepayers’ dollars.

“The 14,000-plus hectares of regional parkland is also maintained by Auckland ratepayer funding. Statistics show most of the 280,000 visitors to this area each year are Aucklanders.”

“In addition, the parkland is home to the threatened native song bird, the kokako. A recovery programme run by the ARC, assisted by the Department of Conservation, and a small army of volunteers has resulted in a significant increase in kokako numbers. No one wants to see this programme compromised,” says Mr Lee.

Mr Lee said he was calling on the Government – through the Auckland Governance Legislation Select Committee – to take a common sense approach to the southern boundary issue.

“The Auckland region comprises only 2 per cent of New Zealand’s land mass and one third of the country lives here. We are the fastest growing region in the country.

“Needlessly lopping off a great chunk of Auckland flies in the face of a key objective of the super city – better integration of the region’s growth and development.

“I hope that the Government sees sense, and does not compromise the success of the new era in Auckland local government before it has even got underway,” says Mr Lee.

Ends

Note to editors:

• The three regional parks affected by Government’s proposed southern boundary are the Hunua Ranges, Waharau and Whakatiwai.
• Attached is the Auckland Regional Council’s submission to the select committee and a fact sheet on Auckland’s southern boundary.

ARC_Submission_on_Local_Govt_Auckland_Council_Bill_26_June_2009.pdf
FACT_SHEET_Aucklands_southern_boundary.pdf

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