Bureaucrats running amok!

By John Kirikiri.

So how to you add value to democracy and save ratepayers millions of dollars over night?

Well you remove a layer of bureaucracy that is the Local Board!

What are Local Boards? They are the Community advocates and agents for consultation with little relavant delegated powers or meaningful funding.

It has become apparent that in actual fact the Local Board concept has been hijacked from on high and they (local Boards) are now expected to run interference between the Governing Body and the communities we represent.

This Governing Body and Minister Hide needs to come clean and save Auckland ratepayers millions of dollars by removing this wasted piece of hypocritical bureaucracy.

For instance there is only indirect communication with Council Controlled Organisations, Officers and real frustration when Local Boards have no constructive input into deciding priorities for our areas.

Case in point:

We have Auckland Transport making decisions on transport projects for the Hibiscus and Bays subdivision of the Albany Ward. $185 million of projects for the East Coast Bays part of the Albany Ward.

We Hibiscus Local Board Members are then told that $20 million worth of projects to widen Whangaparaoa Road will be undertaken at the expense of the 'Penlink' project. Where is the equity between Hibiscus and Bays? Especially when we have faceless unelected bureaucrats running amok without a mandate.

There is a robust business case and the strongest revised Benefit Cost Ratio in Auckland for this 'Penlink'project. That enjoys a high level of Support from the Hibiscus Coast residents.

This Hibiscus and Bays Local Board supports the Penlink Project unanimously.

Councillor Michael Goudie has always supported Penlink. Councillor Walker however is still undermining this Project, even after going to the local body elections for the Supercity and saying he supports it.

I can confirm that Clr Walker has never voted for anything where Penlink is concerned in his capacity as Councillor for the Rodney Council.

But that's another story for another time.

John Kirikiri is a Member of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and past Deputy Mayor/ Councillor of Legacy Council that was the Rodney District.

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