John Trust Me Carter has been reassuring angry Aucklanders since the middle of last year that the Government is going to give real powers to local boards. There are many undemocratic aspects of the Government’s super city agenda but for my money this is the one that people care most about. And if it is not sorted out, it is the thing that will do the Nats most damage across the Auckland electorates.
Mr Carter has been at it again this week at the select committee, repeatedly assuring submitters the boards will get real powers and inviting them to hear a briefing from officials this afternoon on the Government’s plans for board powers.
We’ve just had the briefing. Newsflash: Local boards will get to choose the colour of the carpet at the local library but will have precious little else in the way of real powers. Actually to be fair, they will also have the power to shift park furniture around and allocate the graffiti clean up budget.
The Government has failed again to deliver on its promise to empower local boards in the Auckland super city.
Key, Hide and Co are turning Auckland democracy upside down. Local boards elected by local citizens wont be able to pass a by-law. And yet, the new transport and water corporate structures whose initial directors are appointed by Rodney Hide will be able to make by-laws independently of the elected Council.
The boards wont have any regulatory powers at all, not even the power to regulate dogs, brothels, and liquor licensing that Rodney Hide promised in April last year.
On any issue that matters the boards will have only the power to talk among themselves, and beg the Super Council to do something.
They will be able only to “propose” local by laws to the super council, and “give input” to regional by laws and plans. They won’t be able to hire staff, own property or have any legal status.
They won’t be able to move a bus stop or paint a yellow line on the side of the road. These things and the great majority of the Auckland Council’s operations will be handled by powerful corporate entities that operate completely independently of local boards.
What is left: libraries, local parks and facilities? Officials told the select committee that libraries and facilities will be run on a regional basis, but local boards can have input into things like design and fit out. In other words they get to choose the carpet. Welcome to the new face of local democracy.
Crap. Worse than we feared.
You’re kidding right? I don’t believe these gobshites are really going to do this. Is it Labour policy to have a referendum on whether residents actually want this Supercity debacle if you return to power? It’s one way of hoovering up votes in Auckland.
It amazes me that Hide and Key are allowed to get away this coup d’etat on local Auckland government. Pinochet would be proud of them. They have lied every step of the way, and they still lie to Aucklanders, except their fat-cat mates who are already dividing up the spoils. The so called ‘fourth estate’ are either complicit or asleep. Keep up the great work, Phil. Must be a lonely job.
this really suxs, john carter said to our group after the hearing that we would be very pleased with the announcement by the akld transistion agency, well were not.
Interesting that the fractious nature of Auckland local government – the apparent reason for the ’super city’ – has actually helped the Government get across the line with “Party Central”.
Banksie, Auckland’s woes coupld have been quite easily sorted without the need for a supercity or even a royal commission – all that was needed was to change the structure of ARC to make it responsible for regional planning, development, tourism, transport and water and leave the rest to the existing councils. Mind you, you’d have needed to change pretty much every councillor on ARC to do it, but it still would have been cheaper.
Banksie , what ‘fractious nature’. The Mayors were united in opposing it. The ARC went for it , but one out seven shows the opposition is pretty strong.
When Auckland City were building Aotea Centre ( at huge expense) it was shown that the Council WAS having many meetings over the colour of the carpets and ignoring the cost blowouts for the substance of the building.
But a wise sage is right, there is no way the Wellington bureaucrats would allow a strong semi independent government for Auckland
Local boards elected by local citizens wont be able to pass a by-law. And yet, the new transport and water corporate structures whose initial directors are appointed by Rodney Hide will be able to make by-laws independently of the elected Council.
I guess that goes to show that Mr Hide thinks that Auckland will be a wonderful place, just so long as actual Aucklanders don’t get any say.
This better not be the glorious new local government plan coming to a city near me!
Ok, so now they have finally done what we knew they would. When are Aucklanders going get off their backsides and really protest! I am sick of this asking politely what we want. You don’t think they just sit and laugh at us! Time to fight back and actually mean it. This actually matters guys, if we dont do something now it will be tooo late.
During the(taxpayer funded) visit of Rodney Hide to London, Boris Johnson advised him to “Seize the power”. Rodney laughed and said that this was tongue in cheek! But now the real meaning of the advice is becoming clearer by the minute. Perhaps Marx was right after all!
Can the local boards be sacked ?
This ‘hideous’ edifice erected as a travesty of local government could be subject to a ’strike’ by the local boards.
This is worse than any of us from Manukau City believed it could be. I have not met one person from Manukau who wants this. Yes the ARC needed to be strengthened, and a co-ordinating body for the local suthorities instituted, but this is handing the biggest city in the country to unelected, un-accountable corporate groups. What can Labour do to formulate a policy to undo this when it regains power? How can we stop the sale of the Ports of Auckland?
This is grim
It’s a pity the people couldn’t just leave Auckland and build a new Auckland bigger and better than the existing one, with nice trains, and not let the corrupties in. 
Well, those who live in Aklnd – are you prepared to stand up and fight for what you really want? I have seen very little of this of late, so it makes those of us not in Akld wonder how much the average Aklndr cares about it?
I think, from my perspective, that there are some democratic rights that appear to have been trampled on, and if you allow it to happen in Akld, our largest city, then the rest of us are pretty stuffed really. The question is, are you going to allow them to get away with it? (and is there anything you can do that will make a difference?)
@ ghost, blame Hide and his hideous mates, not the poor old Wellington bureaucrats who are run ragged by their masters. Word on the street is there are some good folks in DIA and elsewhere who have argued long and hard against Hide’s extreme agenda, only to be told to ‘get it done’. Having said that, I agree that in the transport area in particular, Auckland’s problems can largely be put down to the bureaucrats.
I really do not understand. How is this to be? I know very little about the in’s and out’s of politics, but surely we can get rid of them, can’t we?
Nocando is right, it does seem that Aucklanders will be ignored until they show how they feel by
1/ Not going to work (an anathema to money first Auck I know).
2/ Shut down the major arteries with Hikiois
3/ Knock on the doors of Hide/Key and other Auck MPs that support these moves.
As for my say, I also do not believe any MPs from outside Auckland should be involved in the discussion of the form of the city, only the need for referenda.
AS I FEARED. DESPITE OUR IMPASSIONED PLEAS, WE HAVE BEEN SHAFTED. I can’t believe that committee could look us in the face. Boy am I mad!
Rates revolt is a better option Jeremy… Since 54% of our rates go to transport and we and our elected representatives will not be making the transport decisions or even getting a say in them till after they are, I think there is a pretty good case for no taxation without representation…
How about we just vote them out of Government next election- that would be more effective. You are going to need a huge bureaucracy to administer the Byzantine layering of responsibilities that has been put in place so you can start by asking your local members how it is all supposed to work.
PS don’t ask Ann Tolley yet, she is still swotting up on how moderation works.
See Tim Selwyn’s post at Tumeke. He was at the briefing on local boards yesterday: http://tumeke.blogspot.com/2010/02/auckland-misrepresentation.html
While I agree it’s certainly worrying that the local boards have so little power, in many respects it’s even more worrying how much power the unelected CCOs have.
If we take Auckland Transport, they have a HUGE amount of power over transport matters – to do pretty much as they please. Furthermore, the Auckland Law Reform Bill requires Auckland Transport to take greater account of government transport policies and less accounts of the Regional Land Transport Strategy than is currently the case.
Given that Steven Joyce will be appointing the initial directors of Auckland Transport, we can expect the balanced transport policies of ARC/ARTA to go out the window, to be replaced by Joyce and his motorway fetishism to an even greater extent.
Robert Winter has also posted on this: http://robertwinter.blogspot.com/2010/02/mr-hides-contempt-for-auckland-and.html
@ Jarbury – Agree completely.
There is a movement to get us all to withold rates. I think it’s too soon yet. Lets give them a chance to change things. I bet they don’t. If that’s the case, then lets show the bastards and set up an interest bearing trust fund for us all to pay rates into (it will help pay penalties)and lets see how they go on having no rates money to do anything. We can fix them good and proper. It worked before. I and many others were part of the ARC rates strike. I lead an email campaign to gather signatures and I’m sure we can do that and encourage by electronic means, others to withhold payment. Viv Keohane, North Shore City.
Perhaps the RSA with its focus on preserving and fighting for democracy ought to be brought on board for this campaign. Anyone who has read Noam Chomsky and his various writings on the right wing and its penchant for ‘deterring democracy’ will see that the guru was not wrong! You manipulate voter percepetions using compliant media, get your troops into power and then do as you please. These
b&@t%$ds have got to go down!
If this was happening in France the tractors would already be on the streets!