We had Rodney Hide at select committee this morning to take questions on local government estimates. His fur seems to have lost some of its shine since the Brash coup. But he was in good form this morning: typically unrepentant on the Auckland super city IT cost blow out.
When he wrote in the Herald last June the super city’s new computer system would cost only $126 million, did he know then that it would cost another $450 million to complete over the next few years? No, apparently not.
Continuing a discussion we had at last year’s estimates hearing, did he accept now that the Auckland ratepayer considered the whole cost of the new IT system to be a cost of the establishment of the super city, as opposed to just the initial pre-amalgamation costs? No, again.
We got on to his new review of the system of local government which a Cabinet paper had promised would begin with stakeholder consultations open to the public, but now appears to be a series of invitation-only closed-door meetings with participants asked not to discuss the proceedings outside the meeting.
He wasn’t bothered by the secretive nature of the meetings: at least officials were consulting stakeholders, they could have just gone ahead and developed the reform proposals without talking to anyone. I guess that shouldn’t surprise anyone. This is the Minister who handed 75% of Auckland local government over to hand-picked corporate boards who now do most of their business behind closed doors.
Would he guarantee there would be no forced council amalgamations following his review of the system of local government? His bemused expression seemed to acknowledge that barring some political miracle he won’t be around to guarantee anything after November. I think he is probably mentally moving on to other things already: his answer, no he could not give that guarantee. He didn’t know what a future Labour local government minister might do.
P.S. Nikki Kaye asked some wonderful patsy questions about how successful the super city has been. I wonder if she will be campaigning in Auckland Central on its success with Rodney at her side?
err..rodney who?
and rortney wont be around to take this on the road… coming to a city near you soon
The puppetmasters are pensioning him off.
Job done. Send in the next puppet.
Alan Gibbs brought him into this world, Alan Gibbs can take him out.
Remember the venom with which Rodney attacked Winston? Live by the sword….
remember all the money the supercity was going to save…
I think the cost of the super city set up plus their unbridled spending such as the big screen purchase will make Auckland rates untenable for the elderly. I dread to think what the 2012 rate rise will be. I predicted this problem and I never wanted the super city. There should have been a referendum. I know nobody who wanted this hare brained scheme.
In my job I get around Auckland a lot .
Ive noticed we have NZ largest roading contractors doing little bitsy work. This is crazy: their overheads are huge , and to send out a truck and 3 guys , means that 4 people back in the office are being paid as well.
Back under the original ‘boroughs days ‘, this would have been done by a 5 or 9 person business.
What you now have is the most expensive costs of Auckland City ‘trickled down’ to the mundane and ordinary across the region. Queen St prices for every little suburb.
I think the entire cost should be dumped on Rodney Hide, baring that, National and Act and, if we can’t get them to pay, the central government. Forcing Aucklanders to pay for what they didn’t want isn’t justice.
Back in the “boroughs” days such basic maintenance would probably have been done by the council itself.