Auckland Council Supercity needs reform
Opportunity calls for overburdened ratepayers

In agreeing to look at North Rodney’s application to withdraw from Auckland Council, the Local Government Commission has thrown the doors wide open for a total re-appraisal of the governance, management and operation of the first ‘SuperCity’ in New Zealand.

Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of ratepayers, and residents, have, almost from its inception, expressed anger and frustration at the lack of democracy, accountability and honesty in the way Auckland Council has behaved towards it citizens.

The Local Government Commission has made it clear that it is aware of the widespread dissatisfaction in all parts of the Auckland region and acknowledges that it cannot ignore this situation as it considers the application by North Rodney to separate from the Auckland Council.

Ratepayers, especially residential ratepayers, have been hit hard by this Council as it has accumulated huge interest costs for capital expenditure on projects which benefit only specific areas of the city.

As NoMoreRates has frequently observed, ratepayers in the North and East have, and continue to, subsidise expenditure in the City Centre and the South and West.

The result of the Rodney Hide experiment has been a failure of elected members to manage a local authority of this size.

While a major re-organisation may seem a daunting task, the Commission has invited us all to have our say, and if changes are necessary they must be made.

ENDS

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